Most humans have small snippets of DNA inherited from ancient hominins like Neanderthals. Now the first study shows some people have long stretches of it Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2220381-long-strand-of-dna-from-neanderthals-found-in-people-from-melanesia/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: Neanderthals
Tiny stature of extinct ‘Hobbit’ thanks to fast evolution
New research suggests that the tiny human species – that survived until about 18,000 years ago, later than any human species other than our own – evolved its small size remarkably quickly while living on an isolated island. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/tiny-extinct-hobbit-human-species-fast-evolution…
Ancient footprints show Neanderthals may have been taller than thought
The biggest collection of Neanderthal footprints yet discovered offers a window on their social structure, and shows that their group was filled with children Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2215803-ancient-footprints-show-neanderthals-may-have-been-taller-than-thought/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Neanderthals spent a surprising amount of time underwater
Neanderthals’ bony ear growths – similar to “surfer’s ear” in modern water-loving humans – suggest they spent lots of time foraging in aquatic environments Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2213407-neanderthals-spent-a-surprising-amount-of-time-underwater/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Researchers Awaken Ancient Lifeforms Exposed By Thawing Ice Caps and Permafrost
“Researchers in a warming Arctic are discovering organisms, frozen and presumed dead for millennia, that can bear life anew,” reports the Washington Post: These ice age zombies range from simple bacteria to multicellular animals, and their endurance is prompting scientists to revise their understanding of what it means to survive… Mosses have forged a tougher path. They desiccate when temperatures plummet,…
Neanderthals from Europe may have ousted their Siberian relatives
DNA from 120,000-year-old bones sheds light on the ancestry of Neanderthals in Europe, revealing a remarkable 80,000 years of genetic continuity, interbreeding with a mystery hominin and migrations Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2207681-neanderthals-from-europe-may-have-ousted-their-siberian-relatives/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Ancient DNA reveals Neanderthal migration and interbreeding
DNA from 120,000-year-old bones sheds light on the ancestry of Neanderthals in Europe, revealing a remarkable 80,000 years of genetic continuity, interbreeding with a mystery hominin and migrations Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2207681-ancient-dna-reveals-neanderthal-migration-and-interbreeding/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Mystery hominin had sex with ancestors of Neanderthals and Denisovans
A strange signal in ancient and modern human DNA suggests the ancestors of Neanderthals and Denisovans must have mated with an unknown species of human Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206003-mystery-hominin-had-sex-with-ancestors-of-neanderthals-and-denisovans/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Neanderthals May Have Been Driven to Extinction by a Tiny Drop in Fertility Rates
Just a slight dip in the fertility rates of Neanderthals could explain their extinction over the course of several thousand years. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65594-neanderthal-fertility-led-to-extinction.html
Humans and Neanderthals Evolved from a Mystery Common Ancestor, Huge Analysis Suggests
Modern humans and Neanderthals may have diverged a long, long time ago, at least 800,000 years back. Source: https://www.livescience.com/65499-neanderthal-human-last-common-ancestor.html