DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree

Re:DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree by hugh4 on Saturday September 12, 2015 @08:00PM (#10209837)

It's just weird to think that we drove them all to extinction so quickly and so effectively in a relatively short space of time. Long before we had agriculture or non stick-and-rock technology. How did we do it? A few Homo sapiens wander into Eurasia, which already has a population of millions of Homo, and all the other Homos die off?

I'm not advancing an alternative theory or saying its wrong, I'm just saying its surprising.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree by mc808 on Saturday September 12, 2015 @09:06PM (#10209975)

It's also possible that Neanderthals prevented modern humans from leaving Africa until their populations were already in decline for other reasons (disease? inbreeding? infighting? overhunting?). In that case we may have just sped up the inevitable.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree by ajuc on Sunday September 13, 2015 @05:40AM (#10210809)

Climat changes were very important, populations varied greatly, and many regions became uninabited and inhabited again many times over.

There are minor "ice ages" on 40 000 and 100 000 year long cycles. Every time these happen (especially when they combine) - animals and plants change, and hunter-gatherers have to migrate or starve (most starve anyway). It's almost like game reset. So neanderthals advantage wasn't that big.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:DNA from Neandertal relative may shake up human family tree by ams6110 on Saturday September 12, 2015 @08:31PM (#10209907)

Survival of the fittest.

[ Parent | on HN ]