Are we Neanderthals?
Wired has posted my latest feature for the magazine online now, so you can read all about whether homo sapiens carries Neanderthal DNA in its genome. (In other words: did Neanderthals and early humans make babies?) A group of genomics experts are working on this question by sequencing fragments of Neanderthal DNA that they’ve gotten from fossilized bones.
This was an incredibly fun article to write in large part because I was describing recent work from Eddy Rubin‘s lab. Rubin is a world-famous geneticist who works at UC Berkeley, and also heads up the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek (the same place where the human genome was sequenced). He’s really taken with the idea that the Neanderthal sequence may completely change our perceptions of who we are and where we fit into evolutionary history. Talking with Eddy was great — he’s good at conveying complicated ideas succinctly, and takes genuine pleasure in his work. Plus, he isn’t afraid to be a total goofball.
Of course, the idea that a genetics expert would take on the work traditionally done by paleontologists and anthropologists is controversial in the scientific community. Part of my article is about this issue, and you’ll hear from Neanderthal experts like Erik Trinkaus, who has spent years in the trenches (literally) digging up Neanderthal bones. He raises a number of good points about why sequence tells us less than bones do, and refutes Eddy’s claims about the possible relationships between humans and Neanderthals.
If you want to know what the latest genomics research tells us about cross-breeding between early homo sapiens and Neanderthals, check out the article!
My one regret is that I didn’t have enough space to bring in comments I’d gotten from two amazing thinkers — Randall White and John Hawks. White’s work on the art and culture of early homo sapiens and Neanderthals is completely fascinating — I’d highly recommend his book Prehistoric Art. And John Hawks writes the best anthropology blog in the universe. All hail John Hawks!
July 25th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
hi I myself dont know for sure if neanderthals and more refined homo sapiens interbred but I would not say its imposible even when I look in the mirror somtimes my face seems to have some neanderthal features I have a fairly large brow large ronded eyes a mouth and nose that project slightly foward but my nose is not that big but my teeth and lips are and my cheekbones are thick towards the back of my face so who knows mabey I and others have some dormant neanderthal genes that would prove we did interbreed afterall im half italian neanderthals lived in italy a wee bit french neanderthals lived in france and almost half irish as far as we know no neans have been found in ireland but im sure in the future some will be found afterall the oldest modern human genes in europe are found in western ireland but im really not kidding on the fact that i belive i share some features with the common neanderthal so mabey they did not die out completley afterall