> > If climate alone caused the 'thals' demise, modern man could have been > expanding into vacant territory. However if the new studies correctly > indicate interbreeding, it means that there was at least a partial > overlap in the distribution ranges as the 'thals declined. >
there doesn't seem to be any doubt that they co-existed - in fact there seems to have been a certain amount of cultural interchange between them (stealing each other's ideas, in other words), so an overlap in their ranges doesn't depend on evidence of interbreeding, and doesn't imply it either. However, I would expect, human nature being what it is, that if they met then at least some of them would have shagged. We know that some people shag goats* so why wouldn't they shag Neandertals if they got the chance**? And presumably vice versa. But it doesn't necessarily mean they produced any offspring, let alone fertile offspring. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see alternative explanations of the recent studies being offered very soon. After all, it's only within the last few years that conclusive genetic 'proof' was offered which showed no hybridisation. * present company excepted ** I think I've woken up with a few myself. And I suspect the feeling was mutual in some cases > Climate change could very well have skewed the competitive balance, > but whoever has the edge would fast-track the other to exclusion. I think that it is likely what happened, but we can't come to a definite conclusion yet. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
