Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
2010-05-07 16:01:19 UTC
- - -
The recent discovery that 1 to 4% of human
DNA is of Neanderthal ancestry, one wonders
how religions will spin that in their theological
reactions to scientific discoveries bucket.
Not sure if they'll view the interbreeding as
'sin' or as part of God's so-called 'perfect
design' or if they'll just adopt a hands-off
approach, awaiting further details before
they come up with their theological stances.
Will of God? 'Sin'? Totally naturalistically ex-
plained? As with all such matters, the over-
whelming likelihood of a naturalistic explan-
ation residing as verity and as demonstrably
veritable places all the theological approaches,
both immediate and in the future, into the
arena of myth and spin (IMO).
- - -
May 6, 2010
Neanderthals live on in DNA of humans
The first comparison of the complete genomes
of humans and Neanderthals reveals that up to
4% of our DNA is Neanderthal
http://tinyurl.com/neanderthalshumansinterbreed
- - -
Excerpts:
There is a little Neanderthal in nearly all of us,
according to scientists who compared the genetic
makeup of humans with that of our closest ancient
relatives.
Most people living outside Africa can trace up to 4%
of their DNA to a Neanderthal origin, a consequence
of interbreeding between the two groups after the
great migration from the contintent.
Anthropologists have long speculated that early
humans may have mated with Neanderthals, but
the latest study provides the strongest evidence
so far, suggesting that such encounters took place
around 60,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent
region of the Middle East.
Small, pioneering groups of modern humans began
to leave Africa 80,000 years ago and reached land
occupied by the Neanderthals as they spread into
Eurasia. The two may have lived alongside each
other in small groups until the Neanderthals died
out 30,000 years ago.
...
The researchers found that modern humans and
Neanderthals shared 99.7% of their DNA, which
was inherited from a common ancestor 400,000
years ago.
Further analysis revealed that Neanderthals were
more closely related to modern humans who left
Africa than to the descendants of those who stayed.
Between 1% and 4% of the DNA in modern Euro-
peans, Asians and those as far afield as Papua New
Guinea, was inherited from Neanderthals.
"Those of us who live outside Africa carry a little
Neanderthal in us," said Professor Pääbo. "Nean-
derthals probably mixed with early modern humans
before Homo sapiens split into different groups in
Europe and Asia. The comparison of these two
genetic sequences enables us to find out where
our genome differs from that of our closest relative."
Interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals
may nonetheless have been rare. Just two Nean-
derthal females in a group of around a hundred
humans would have been enough to leave such
a trace in our genome, provided that was the
group that gave rise to all modern humans out-
side Africa.
... "We found the genetic signal of Neanderthals
in all the non-African genomes, meaning that
the admixture occurred early on, probably in
the Middle East, and is shared with all descen-
dants of the early humans who migrated out of
Africa."
... "A major next step will be to find out not only
what the unique human genes are doing, but
whether the genes we've got from Neanderthals
are of functional significance. Is there something
in the biology of people outside Africa that is
coming from those Neanderthal genes?" ...
- - -
May 6, 2010
Humans share Neanderthal genes from inter-
breeding 50,000 years ago
http://tinyurl.com/neanderthalshumanssharegenes
- - -
Excerpt:
Experts are now convinced that early modern
humans and Neanderthals interbred between
50,000 and 100,000 years ago.
As a result, between one and four per cent of
our DNA comes from the prehistoric creature,
according to the research.
Human-Neanderthal relations occurred as the
first pioneering bands of homo sapiens ventured
out of Africa, scientists believe.
When they reached the Middle East they ran
into groups of Neanderthals who preceded them
and it is now thought that they mated.
The discovery emerged from the first attempt to
map the complete Neanderthal genetic code, or
genome. It more or less settles a long-standing
academic debate over interbreeding between
separate branches of the human family tree.
Evidence in the past has pointed both ways, for
and against modern humans and Neanderthals
mixing their genes.
Technically the Neanderthals, homo neanderthal-
ensis, were a human subspecies which parted
evolutionary company from our direct ancestors
between 270,000 and 440,000 years ago.
Around 400,000 years ago early Neanderthals
stepped out of their African cradle, where Homo
sapiens was still evolving, and headed for Europe
and Asia.
At least 300,000 years later early modern humans
followed the Neanderthals out of Africa.
The two populations coexisted in Europe and Asia
until the Neanderthals vanished forever around
30,000 years ago probably driven into extinction
by the smarter and more competitive modern
humans.
...
- - - end excerpt - - -
€ - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - €
~~~
Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
http://prohuman.net
(Freethinking Realist Exploring
Expressive Liberty, Openness,
Verity, Enlightenment, & Rationality)
~~~
The recent discovery that 1 to 4% of human
DNA is of Neanderthal ancestry, one wonders
how religions will spin that in their theological
reactions to scientific discoveries bucket.
Not sure if they'll view the interbreeding as
'sin' or as part of God's so-called 'perfect
design' or if they'll just adopt a hands-off
approach, awaiting further details before
they come up with their theological stances.
Will of God? 'Sin'? Totally naturalistically ex-
plained? As with all such matters, the over-
whelming likelihood of a naturalistic explan-
ation residing as verity and as demonstrably
veritable places all the theological approaches,
both immediate and in the future, into the
arena of myth and spin (IMO).
- - -
May 6, 2010
Neanderthals live on in DNA of humans
The first comparison of the complete genomes
of humans and Neanderthals reveals that up to
4% of our DNA is Neanderthal
http://tinyurl.com/neanderthalshumansinterbreed
- - -
Excerpts:
There is a little Neanderthal in nearly all of us,
according to scientists who compared the genetic
makeup of humans with that of our closest ancient
relatives.
Most people living outside Africa can trace up to 4%
of their DNA to a Neanderthal origin, a consequence
of interbreeding between the two groups after the
great migration from the contintent.
Anthropologists have long speculated that early
humans may have mated with Neanderthals, but
the latest study provides the strongest evidence
so far, suggesting that such encounters took place
around 60,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent
region of the Middle East.
Small, pioneering groups of modern humans began
to leave Africa 80,000 years ago and reached land
occupied by the Neanderthals as they spread into
Eurasia. The two may have lived alongside each
other in small groups until the Neanderthals died
out 30,000 years ago.
...
The researchers found that modern humans and
Neanderthals shared 99.7% of their DNA, which
was inherited from a common ancestor 400,000
years ago.
Further analysis revealed that Neanderthals were
more closely related to modern humans who left
Africa than to the descendants of those who stayed.
Between 1% and 4% of the DNA in modern Euro-
peans, Asians and those as far afield as Papua New
Guinea, was inherited from Neanderthals.
"Those of us who live outside Africa carry a little
Neanderthal in us," said Professor Pääbo. "Nean-
derthals probably mixed with early modern humans
before Homo sapiens split into different groups in
Europe and Asia. The comparison of these two
genetic sequences enables us to find out where
our genome differs from that of our closest relative."
Interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals
may nonetheless have been rare. Just two Nean-
derthal females in a group of around a hundred
humans would have been enough to leave such
a trace in our genome, provided that was the
group that gave rise to all modern humans out-
side Africa.
... "We found the genetic signal of Neanderthals
in all the non-African genomes, meaning that
the admixture occurred early on, probably in
the Middle East, and is shared with all descen-
dants of the early humans who migrated out of
Africa."
... "A major next step will be to find out not only
what the unique human genes are doing, but
whether the genes we've got from Neanderthals
are of functional significance. Is there something
in the biology of people outside Africa that is
coming from those Neanderthal genes?" ...
- - -
May 6, 2010
Humans share Neanderthal genes from inter-
breeding 50,000 years ago
http://tinyurl.com/neanderthalshumanssharegenes
- - -
Excerpt:
Experts are now convinced that early modern
humans and Neanderthals interbred between
50,000 and 100,000 years ago.
As a result, between one and four per cent of
our DNA comes from the prehistoric creature,
according to the research.
Human-Neanderthal relations occurred as the
first pioneering bands of homo sapiens ventured
out of Africa, scientists believe.
When they reached the Middle East they ran
into groups of Neanderthals who preceded them
and it is now thought that they mated.
The discovery emerged from the first attempt to
map the complete Neanderthal genetic code, or
genome. It more or less settles a long-standing
academic debate over interbreeding between
separate branches of the human family tree.
Evidence in the past has pointed both ways, for
and against modern humans and Neanderthals
mixing their genes.
Technically the Neanderthals, homo neanderthal-
ensis, were a human subspecies which parted
evolutionary company from our direct ancestors
between 270,000 and 440,000 years ago.
Around 400,000 years ago early Neanderthals
stepped out of their African cradle, where Homo
sapiens was still evolving, and headed for Europe
and Asia.
At least 300,000 years later early modern humans
followed the Neanderthals out of Africa.
The two populations coexisted in Europe and Asia
until the Neanderthals vanished forever around
30,000 years ago probably driven into extinction
by the smarter and more competitive modern
humans.
...
- - - end excerpt - - -
€ - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - € - €
~~~
Pro-Humanist FREELOVER
http://prohuman.net
(Freethinking Realist Exploring
Expressive Liberty, Openness,
Verity, Enlightenment, & Rationality)
~~~