Just watched this video. Scientists have an complete genome from a Neanderthal who lived about 42,000 years ago in France. They nick-named him Thorin from Lord of the Rings.
Homo Sapiens from that time show Neanderthal DNA, as we do today -- 2% to 4%, and we don't each have the same Neanderthal DNA. Scientists identified all the different Neanderthal DNA found in homo sapiens examined so far and it amounts to something like 30% of the Neanderthal DNA. Common theories developed by the scientists who examined Thorin revolved around the idea that contact between the two species was friendly so naturally some contact became romantic, hence, our Neanderthal DNR.
So of course, Scientists examining Thorin looked for evidence of homo sapiens DNA in his DNA sequence, and . . . didn't find any. They did find evidence of inbreeding. I listened to the narrator's conjectures about how that could be the case since Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens lived near each other in France for a long time. The Scientists theorized that their wanderings were wide and maybe they just never encountered each other.
Bu coincidence I am currently reading CREATION RIVER, a finalist for the Booker Prize, and the author, Rachel Kushner, has one of her characters theorize about how homo sapiens got Neanderthal DNA, and one of the theories was "rape." We might not hear that theory from many legitimate scientists working with DNA who seem to favor
The theory that the Neanderthal was an Apex predator which drove Homo Sapiens into near extinction (by means of rape and cannibalism) may be given a boost by these findings. Perhaps the little group which included Thorin and was engaged in inbreeding had thus far survived the Cro Magnon competition which may not have included rape.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment