Cloning the Neanderthal?

[Loss Leader]

To MY knowledge, 'We' didn't come from Neanderthals... Neanderthals died out, and the research I have been exposed to suggested there was no Neanderthal DNA within the Cro-Magnon genes.

Please correct me if I am wrong?

You're not wrong. There was a time when three distinct species of humans shared the earth - sapiens, neanderthals and erectus. Current thinking (last time I checked) has us evolving from those erectus clans which stayed in Africa.

 

[Horatius]

Personally, I think that the justification of cloning a caveman (not the ability) should be under question...

Well, it would allow us to finally answer the all important question...

 

[zakur]

For more on a project to sequence the Neanderthal genome:

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60367

 

[UserGoogol]

There is a link between intelligence and culture, in the sense that feral children tend to act kind of retardedly. Therefore, even if Neanderthals had more intelligence than modern humans, we wouldn't neccesarily be able to observe this in their clones.

 

[Dustin Kesselberg]

There is a link between intelligence and culture, in the sense that feral children tend to act kind of retardedly. Therefore, even if Neanderthals had more intelligence than modern humans, we wouldn't neccesarily be able to observe this in their clones.

Feral children lack social skills because they never developed them due to isolation from other people.


Why wouldn't we observe that in a Neanderthal GROWING UP around modern humans and learning the social skills?

 

[Roboramma]

You're not wrong. There was a time when three distinct species of humans shared the earth - sapiens, neanderthals and erectus. Current thinking (last time I checked) has us evolving from those erectus clans which stayed in Africa.

I've heard it suggested that neanderthals and homo sapiens sapiens might just be subspecies - that is, they may have been the same species as us. I don't know what current thought is on the matter, though.

But that's certainly one thing we could test with a neanderthal clone. If we could get the volunteers, anyway...

 

[pchams]

As far as I know it's:
Homo Sapiens Neandertalis
Homo Sapiens Sapiens
Sub-species.

However, I think that just assuming that a human woman's blood and a Neanderthal's blood are compatible may be a stretch.

 

[Loss Leader]

I've heard it suggested that neanderthals and homo sapiens sapiens might just be subspecies - that is, they may have been the same species as us. I don't know what current thought is on the matter, though.

But that's certainly one thing we could test with a neanderthal clone. If we could get the volunteers, anyway...

A lot of the argument about whether it's h. sapiens neandertalis or just h. neandertalis is racism couched in semantics. Some people just can't let themselves believe that we are very, very closely related to "cavemen."

In any case, the labeling of the species or sub-species is not important. It's the definition of the differences - Can sapiens and neandertalis produce offspring? Can they produce offspring that are fertile?

Seeing as there is no Neanderthal DNA in our bodies today, it seems likely that we were as different as zebras and horses, meaning a little but not much.