Did human women contribute to Neanderthal genomes over 200,000 years ago?
A new Neanderthal mitochondrial genome supports a remarkable hypothesis – that there was interbreeding with an extremely early migration of African homininsKeeping pace with new developments in the field of human evolution these days is a daunting prospect. It seems as though every few weeks there ’s an announcement ofexciting new findings from hominin fossils, or the recovery of an ancient genome that significantly impacts our understanding of our species ’ history. The best way to keep up is by regularly revisiting and reassessing a few core questions. When and where did our species first appear? How and where did we migrate? What was our relationship to our (now-extinct) hominin relatives? What evolutionary and cultural factors influenced our histories? How do new findings change the answers to these questions? Are they generally accepted by the relevant community of experts, or are they provisional or controversial?Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Jennifer Raff Tags: Neanderthals Evolution Genetics Archaeology Anthropology Science Biology Fossils Source Type: news