A new genome project is in the works. Technology has advanced to the point that DNA can be recovered from samples that are tens of thousands of years old. Specifically the genome of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis is being analyzed. How closely are they related to us? Do we have any descent from them or not?
As reported by Nicholas Wade in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/15/science/16neanderthalcnd.html?hp&ex=1163653200&en=4da982bcdbc824fa&ei=5094&partner=homepage
"The archaic human species that dominated Europe until 30,000 years ago is about to emerge from the shadows. With the help of a new DNA sequencing machine that operates with firefly light, the bones of the Neanderthals have begun to tell their story to geneticists.
One million units of Neanderthal DNA have already been analyzed, and a draft version of the entire genome, 3.2 billion units in length, should be ready in two years, said Dr. Svante Paabo, the leader of the research project at the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany.
Biologists expect knowledge of the Neanderthal genome to reveal, by its differences with the human genome, many distinctive qualities of what it means to be human. Researchers also hope to resolve such questions as whether the Neanderthals spoke, what their hair and skin color were, and whether they interbred at all with the modern humans who first arrived on their doorstep 45,000 years ago, or were driven to extinction without leaving any genetic legacy.
Dr. Paabo has shared some of his precious sample of Neanderthal DNA with Edward M. Rubin of the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, Calif., whose team has identified 62,250 units of Neanderthal DNA by a different method. The two teams report their results in the journals Nature and Science respectively, saying they have independently demonstrated that recovery of the Neanderthal genome is now possible."
About a million of the estimated 3 billion base pairs have been sequenced, as reported in the Journal Nature http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v444/n7117/abs/nature05336.html
The estimate is that we diverged from them about 500,000 years ago. For many thousands of years both species of man were around.
I was telling everyone who walked into my office.
"It is SOOOO cool!" I said
My students looked at me with a profound lack of interest. Sad.
Imagine what it was like when there were two intelligent species of people at the same time.
About Me
- H
- I am a solitary creature. Not from dislike of my fellows, but just by my nature. I tend to absorb completely in whatever I am doing, losing track of everything else. It is a strength and a weakness. I am not a multitasker. I think the world is an amazing and beautiful place. The more we know about it, the more astounding it is.
Maukie - the virtual cat
5 comments:
I think you are right-- it is very cool. Wicked cool, even.
"Researchers also hope to resolve such questions as whether the Neanderthals spoke..." They can tell that from DNA?
Hey-- there's a comment there-- how come Blogger isn't acknowledging me-- it still says "0 comments."
Even when you hit refresh?
So do you think that there will be two intelligent species at the same time again one day (H G Wells-esque)?
Emano, Researchers have discovered a gene that when mutated in people appear to cause those people to be unable to speak, in the sense of use verbal language. The gene itself is highly conserved, but humans have a distinct form that molecular evolution computations indicate probably arose about 100,000 years ago. The gene is FOXP2. So the question is, did the Neaderthals have the human version of FOXP2?
And Bob, it is evolutionarily possible, but I would think that it is more likely that we will destroy ourselves and/or wipe out any up and coming species before that happens.
http://www.expasy.org/spotlight/back_issues/sptlt051.shtml
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?itool=abstractplus&db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=abstractplus&list_uids=17035521
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