Neanderthals: Regionalists vs. Replacementists Scientific Battle

[Descendant]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0127085316.htm

New Study Shows Neanderthals Were Not Our Ancestors

In the most recent and mathematically rigorous study to date determining whether Neanderthals contributed to the evolution of modern humans, a team of anthropologists examining the skulls of modern humans and Neanderthals as well as 11 existing species of non-human primates found strong evidence that Neanderthals differ so greatly from Homo sapiens as to constitute a different species.

The findings could potentially put to rest the decades-long debate between proponents of the regional continuity model of human origins, which maintains that Neanderthals are a subspecies of Homo sapiens which contributed significantly to the evolution of modern Europeans, and the single-origin model, which views Neanderthals as a separate, distinct species. The research will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The scientists, led by Katerina Harvati of New York University, used a new technique known as geometric morphometrics to measure the degree of variation between and amongst living primate species, represented by over 1000 specimens. The scientists measured 15 standard craniofacial landmarks on each of the skulls and used 3-D analysis to superimpose each one in order to measure their shape differences, irrespective of size. Random samples were chosen from each species and the differences between them were calculated 10,000 times, in order to simulate the sampling effects of the fossil record. . The data used included Neanderthal fossils , Upper Paleolithic European modern human fossils, and recent human populations, as well as data from living African apes and Old World Monkeys.

"Our motivation was to devise a quantitative method to determine what degree of difference justified classifying specimens as different species," said Harvati. "The only way we could effectively do this was to examine the skeletal morphology of living species today and come up with models. From these data, we were able to determine how much variation living primate species generally accommodate, as well as measure how different two primate species that are closely related can be."

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0127085316.htm

[nordic_canadian_male]

Those people always compare human kulls to the extreme neanderthals found in western europe, not to the groups in the near east with obvious admixtures of them and humans.


I believe in the regional theory. We all know that mithocondrial dna clock is bullshit. I do believe whites evolved from not so exagerrated neanderthals in near east.



As Neanderthals began to live in larger communities, aggresion in individuals began to be a bad thing. The more aggresive males were cast from society or died earlier because of their risk taking, therefore contributing less to next generation. Our teeth, musculature, browridges etc... because of more docile males outbreeding there more aggresive counterparts. Much like we have done too dogs, they like us have become more pademorphic.



There has always been a continuation of physical features both in europe, asia and africa. Asians look just like their earlier homonid ancestors as we do, just more gracile and modern.



I hope the out of africa theory is quickly scrapped, not from a racist point of view but just out of respect for science and what it's suppose to mean. Discovery of truth, not to be used as propaganda.