Do we have any Neanderthal blood? By that, I mean, could early humans and Neanderthals possibly mate and?

Question

could modern humans be part Neanderthal?

Answer 1

I've taken a class in which this has come up.  Both professors were sure that they could mate and that there is the possibility of Neanderthal lineage in modern humans.  Granted, I wasn't paying 100% attention, but it was mentioned.  And they've written published works on this kind of stuff.  It led to an interesting class discussion on whether or not one would be attracted to a Neanderthal or not...

Answer 2

To date, at least 5 Cro-Magnon/Neanderthal Hybrid skeletal remains have been found...

Cro-Magnon is 100% genetically identical to us. Neanderthal is 99.9% genetically identical...

It's likely that Neanderthal DNA is in a recessive form in Caucasoid Europeans. Neanderthals had the red-hair gene, the blue-eye gene, and the longer-nose gene, for heating the air before it went into the lungs...

They lived in northern Europe for 300,000 years, before Cro-Magnon came onto the scene, so yes, as expressed in recessive traits...

Answer 3

I think yes

Answer 4

i doubt it mat......neanderthals are long dead,tho an aboriginy in the outback is prob the closest weve got on the planet,i personally wouldnt like to mate with one of them,there sooooooooooooooooo ugly.,,ide rather eat a scabby horse.

Answer 5

There is still a major scholarly debate going on about this exact topic. Google the Mount Carmel Controversey. Good Luck!

"Some people believe that there was crossbreeding between the Neanderthals and the modern Humans. In the early 1930’s, skeletons were discovered at Mount Carmel in Israel that appear to be Neanderthal/Modern hybrids, though some people believe that’s not what these skeletons really are.

Still some, and probably most, people believe that the Moderns killed off all the Neanderthals or they died off because of the increasing competition. They believe that Neanderthals were just an offshoot of Human evolution. Around the year 1997, Neanderthal DNA was successfully recovered. The DNA suggests that the evolution of Neanderthals and Moderns split and went in their separate directions from a common ancestor (Homo heidelbergensis) that existed about 550,000 to 690,000 years ago. The DNA is also very different from Modern DNA and does not suggest much interbreeding. (Archaeological Institute of America, 1997)"

Answer 6

That is still under hot debate & will not be resolved until the complete sequencing of the Neandertal genome is completed (target date 18 months from now.)   Several genes "suddenly appeared" in the Homo sapiens that migrated out of Africa (about 37,000 yrs ago) & these genes are not found in sub Saharan Africa.  Some suspect Europeans got their light skin & hair from the Neandertal.  The shorter curved thigh bone of Europeans tends to be closer to the Neandertal bones than that of any other group.  Time & science should soon provide us with some evidence & answers.

Edit: Neandertal MtDNA sequenced some 6-7 yrs ago was different enough from Sapien MtDNA to rule out a close sapien relationship there. However, a complete sequencing of the nuclear DNA is in progress & should answer some nagging questions.  It is possible that those migrating through the mid east picked up some Neandertal genes.  Google "Neandertal gene introgression".

Answer 7

My gut feeling is that they did mate.  I think it is on record that at some stage they lived in the same territories.  I think in the Scientific world the jury is still out on this but I know recently they worked out that Neanderthals may have passed on the gene for red hair (but please don't quote me on this).  Now if these "peoples" lived in proximity to each other I think it would naturally follow that this happened especially if now and then there was a drop in the females in the groups.  It could even be possible that they mated but didn't produce young.  Like a horse and a donkey produce a sterile mule don't they.  Who knows.  All highly interesting though.  There was a fiction written by a Canadian author called Clan of Cave Bear - a writer called Jean Aul (or something like that) which covers this possibility - a very good read as are the sequels and how one group got the better of the other group due to having more intelligence.

Answer 8

yeah it is possible that humans assimilated neanderthals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neanderthal...

We do not have any of their blood, just bones, so the DNA research has just begun, as you can read at same link.

Answer 9

Some theories say yes, some say maybe.  That's the short answer.

Early homo sapiens and neandertals co-existed for a very long time according to the archaeological record, so there are people who subscribe to the theory that they interbred and that modern Europeans are essentially part neandertal.

Answer 10

There is some evidence to suggest that they may have. There is conflicting opinion on this and a google search will show this.  

Read this it;s quite interesting.