Neanderthal DNA Shows They Rarely Interbred With Us Very Different Humans

[one...two...tree 2,762]

For the first time, scientists have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, analyzed the genetic material from a 38,000-year-old leg bone found in Croatia and published their findings today in Cell. The mitochondria are only passed down the female line, so can be used to trace the species back to an ancestral "Eve", the mother of all Neanderthals. The team analysed the DNA of 13 genes from the Neanderthal mitochondria and found they were distinctly different to modern humans, suggesting Neanderthals never, or rarely, interbred with early humans. The genetic material shows that a Neanderthal "Eve" lived around 660,000 years ago, when the species last shared a common ancestor with humans [Guardian].

It's difficult to know exactly when one species diverges into two—the sceintists estimated their date by comparing the Neanderthal DNA to that of modern humans, chimps, and bonobos. Starting with the commonly-held idea that chimps and humans diverged six to eight million years ago, and factoring in the rate of mitochondrial DNA evolution, the team dated Neanderthal separation from humans back 660,000 years.

According to John Hawks, a University of Wisconsin-Madison biologist not involved in the study, the work further dispels the idea that modern humans are closely related to Neanderthals. "Comparing the complete mitochondrial DNA genomes of a Neandertal and many recent humans presents a very different picture," Hawks says. "Humans are all more similar to each other, than any human is to a Neandertal. And in fact the Neandertal sequence is three or more times as different, on average, from us as we are from each other" [Science News].

However, much remains to be learned about Neanderthal DNA: The mitochondrion – a structure often dubbed the cell's powerhouse – contains a mere 16,565 DNA letters that code for 13 proteins, whereas the nucleus holds more than 3 billion letters that produce more than 20,000 proteins [New Scientist]. Still, study leader Richard Green says he hopes to be well on the way to a complete Neanderthal genome by year's end.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/...fferent-humans/

[Mags 112]

Interesting.

Better get on to Geico!

[Niels Bohr 72]

DNA survived for a long time?

[Mags 112]

DNA survived for a long time?

DNA can be retrieved from bones that are many centuries old.

[Niels Bohr 72]

DNA survived for a long time?

DNA can be retrieved from bones that are many centuries old.

I know. It is probably very fragmented because the hydrogen bonds, sugar, and phosphate may have just be broken.

I'm not surprised. We still haven't learned enough of the endo-symbiotic theory with mitochondria. Maybe those mito-DNA existed well before Neanderthals 'eve', and Arthropethicines.

Edited August 9, 2008 by consolemaster

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Interesting.

Better get on to Geico!

so much for that theory about platy

[Mags 112]

DNA survived for a long time?

DNA can be retrieved from bones that are many centuries old.

I know. It is probably very fragmented because the hydrogen bonds, sugar, and phosphate may have just be broken.

I'm not surprised. We still haven't learned enough of the endo-symbiotic theory with mitochondria. Maybe those mito-DNA existed well before Neanderthals 'eve', and Arthropethicines.

Well, yes. Getting complete DNA from a centuries old specimen is difficult, but they can get enough to build a good projection.

I think it is a given that mitochondrial DNA has been around forever. Wherever there is a female you will have mitochondrial cells...

Edited August 9, 2008 by Magenta

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

... Neanderthals never, or rarely, interbred with early humans.

They must have thought they were better than us.

Well, we showed them!

Who d man!!!! Who da man!!!!!!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

... Neanderthals never, or rarely, interbred with early humans.

They must have thought they were better than us.

Well, we showed them!

Who d man!!!! Who da man!!!!!!

they were elitist too

[HAL 9000 96]

This study assumes a straight inheritance pattern from the time of Neanderthals to modern polymorphisms in mit-DNA. There could be a couple of issues with this-

mit-DNA is evolutionarily conserved across most mammal species- making accurate ID of a particular species a bit hard.

and

since inheritance is female-dominated- it only addresses potential matings between female Neanderthals and male ** sapiens... what about the other way around? other, chromosomal DNA markers will have to be used to better isolate inheritance patterns.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

This study assumes a straight inheritance pattern from the time of Neanderthals to modern polymorphisms in mit-DNA. There could be a couple of issues with this-

mit-DNA is evolutionarily conserved across most mammal species- making accurate ID of a particular species a bit hard.

and

since inheritance is female-dominated- it only addresses potential matings between female Neanderthals and male ** sapiens... what about the other way around? other, chromosomal DNA markers will have to be used to better isolate inheritance patterns.

I wondered about that also...albeit a much more simpler thought.

As for me, if I was in a dark cave with this lady, I wouldn't kick her out for spillin crumbs on my bear rug.

Neanderthal museum,

Neanderthal, Germany

Edited August 9, 2008 by Jabberwocky

[HAL 9000 96]

This study assumes a straight inheritance pattern from the time of Neanderthals to modern polymorphisms in mit-DNA. There could be a couple of issues with this-

mit-DNA is evolutionarily conserved across most mammal species- making accurate ID of a particular species a bit hard.

and

since inheritance is female-dominated- it only addresses potential matings between female Neanderthals and male ** sapiens... what about the other way around? other, chromosomal DNA markers will have to be used to better isolate inheritance patterns.

I wondered about that also...albeit a much more simpler thought.

As for me, if I was in a dark cave with this lady, I wouldn't kick her out for spillin crumbs on my bear rug.

Neanderthal museum,

Neanderthal, Germany

And there you go... but that would mean her mit-DNA would get passed down...