Re: Newbie Neandertal Help
J. Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
Mon, 1 May 95 17:48:00 -0500
We don't get many Neandertals in here, much less newbies. ;-)
Ib> I have done some reading on Neandertals over the years and have some
Ib> questions that I'd like addressed. Perhaps I haven't been reading
Ib> closely (or lately), but am I wrong in thinking that there is no
Ib> consensus on whether Neandertals interbred with early modern humans?
There is no consensus. Nor is there likely to be anytime soon.
Ib> What is the status of this debate? I presume there are no solid answers
Ib> to this question, and I'm basically interested in how researchers
Ib> approach this subject (genetic studies, fossil records, population
Ib> studies, linguistics, etc.).
One is basically stuck with fossils. Some say we show "residual
Neandertal" features in some populations, some say that's just
robusticity popping up for adaptive reasons. It's an ongoing debate.
Anyone looking for fun at a conference should get Yoel Rak and Milford
Wolpoff together and referee. They disagree but they're civil about it.
Jim Moore (j#d#.moore@canrem.com)
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