Fascinating discovery. Bit of a nitpick/sanity check though:
"When compared to other previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes, Thorin’s genome most closely resembled an individual that was excavated roughly 1,000 miles to the northeast in Gibraltar. Slimak speculates that Thorin’s population likely migrated south to France from Gibraltar."
Shouldn't this be southwest and north, respectively, instead?
“We thus have 50 millennia during which two Neanderthal populations, living about 10 days’ walk from each other, coexisted while completely ignoring each other."
note sure if :ignoring each other: or just unaware.
"We see evidence of early modern humans in Siberia forming so-called mating networks to avoid issues with inbreeding, while living in small communities, which is something we haven’t seen with Neanderthals.”
interesting when you consider that humans interbred with neanderthals.
"We thus have 50 millennia during which two Neanderthal populations, living about 10 days’ walk from each other, coexisted while completely ignoring each other."
I think it would be unimaginable for any mammal. 50 thousand years living side by side, being interfertile, and without a genetic exchange? It's just impossible. Something doesn't add up.
People do all sort of things. Including copulating with animals and cutting off their penises to avoid copulating at all. The statement which I find hard to believe is that nobody for 50 thousand years ever did something. Especially when that something is completely in line with basic human (and non-human) nature.
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[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 47.7 ms ] thread"When compared to other previously sequenced Neanderthal genomes, Thorin’s genome most closely resembled an individual that was excavated roughly 1,000 miles to the northeast in Gibraltar. Slimak speculates that Thorin’s population likely migrated south to France from Gibraltar."
Shouldn't this be southwest and north, respectively, instead?
note sure if :ignoring each other: or just unaware.
"We see evidence of early modern humans in Siberia forming so-called mating networks to avoid issues with inbreeding, while living in small communities, which is something we haven’t seen with Neanderthals.”
interesting when you consider that humans interbred with neanderthals.
Nit: sexualy ignoring each other.
I think it would be unimaginable for any mammal. 50 thousand years living side by side, being interfertile, and without a genetic exchange? It's just impossible. Something doesn't add up.
Still difficult to accept.