On Sat, 8 Apr 2000 10:44:06 -0500, Ray Audette <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
>Geneticaly it has been found that Modern Man separated from Neanderthals
>about 500,000 years ago.  The earliest skelatile remains of Modern Man date
>from only about 50,000 years ago.  As Neanderthals were closer to modern
>humans than Bonobos are to chimps (which are known to interbreed) and these
>hominids are the same number of generations separated as are dogs and
>wolves, interbreeding would certainly occur.

If neanderthal man/wommen were attractive to the opposite sex of
the other type (i mean Cro Magnon),
which i more or less would assume,
then, fertility presupposed, some half-breds may be born.
Maybe one was found in portugal.

You suppose fertility by comparing the dog/wolfe distance
to neander/CroMagnon distance in terms of generations.
Fine idea. But dogs are direct descendants from wolfes.
Whereas the 600k years genetic difference mean developement
from Cro Magnon Humans AND Neanderthals from a (common) anchestor,
which became extinct in the meantime (wolves didn't).

You don't mention bonobo/chimp's distance in generations.
If bonobos and chimps interbred, why aren't half-bred chimps
found in nature? Are the first generation offspring infertile then?
Like horses and donkeys?
Or simply unattractive and uncompetive in either group.

Jared Diamond writes about attractiveness that a similar anatonomy
seems to be more attractive than (even slightly) different shapes.

If you suppose a neanderthal gene taking part in *our* genome
(i think that you do so) then, where would you see it's signs?
I think it would be advisable to look at the list of the
bone signs - this are our shure neanderthal remains.

I haven't read about such signs in humans yet, except...
>
>  If memory serves me correctly, it was
>the experience of waking up next to a near-Neanderthal woman that first
>convinced me of the benefits of sobriety during college.

Now i understand better your preference for the neanderthals ;-)

Amadeus S.


>Ray Audette
>Author "NeanderThin"
>http://www.neanderthin.com