Is it true Chimpanzee and Cave men breed and resulted in hybrid humans we are today?

Question

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2006/05/18/humans_chimps_may_have_bred_after_split/

Answer 1

We humans split from the chimpanzee branch about 8 million years ago. Today we're not able to interbreed. The last attempt was in Russia under Stalin. It failed (naturally) and the scientists were punished.

As you consider human evolution, it's reasonable to expect this. For some reason people often assume that the "first human' was an abrupt and extreme change from their predecessor. It was a gradual process and the variation between generations was minor.

The example I use is the difference of clothing of today when compared to the court of Louis the XIV (Think men in low slung jeans and baggy T-shirts to those in tights, high heels, elaborate hair and fancy jackets) Clearly the two are greatly different. However, nobody really believes that the change occurred overnight. Each generation changed styles a bit to get to today's style.

That the two groups could interbreed for a time isn't surprising. What it didn't do was results in what we call human today.

Answer 2

Sure, but in the USA we call 'em Republicans.

Answer 3

humans and chimps are of a different species and we can not breed with eachother. the offspring would likely die before birth or soon after birth, and if it happend to survive, it would be infertile.

Answer 4

My humble contribution to your question is no. The human being is a primate. The physical and genetic similarities show that the modern human species, the Homo sapiens, closely is related to another group of primates, the simios. The men and anthropoid or the monkeys superiors - chimpanzees (including pigmeos bonobos or chimpanzees) and gorilas- share a common ancestor that it lived between ago 10 and 5 million years. The human being began his evolution in Africa, continent where great part of the later transformations took place. The homínidos fossils of first, that lived between ago 6 and 2 million years, come completely from Africa .

Answer 5

simply no as hybs arent fertile this theory is impossible

Answer 6

No

Chimpanzees and hominids represent two different lineages of  primates, and even if they did breed, would not be able to produce fertile offspring, if any offspring at all

Answer 7

Well no not "cave men" but maybe early hominids pre homo erectus ?

Answer 8

A couple of things here.

First it say human ancestors bred with chimpanzee ancestors!

Ancestors is a little different from the idea of cavemen.

Now the second thing is that the logic is twisted as if there had indeed mean breeding between the two then the split from our common ancestors who have to have followed that moment!

So the report is not really very clear! What they seem to be stating in a more simple form is that the date of the split was much later and than a earlier spilt which created two common ancestors  which later meet and, well you know the old birds and bees thing!

Union would have produced one or maybe even a series of common ancestors!

We still don't have all the pieces to say exactly what happen, but enough to know that a common ancestry exists and at some time there was a final family separation.

I hope that helps to making it a little more comprehensible.

Answer 9

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!  Oh, man.  I needed a good laugh!

Answer 10

Well, according to the article, many paleontologists are skeptical, and so am I.

Answer 11

so why are 'we' breeding.... that I am aware of, hybrids are infertile... and where did our speech evolve from.

Answer 12

very likely I guess. I heard that we might not be Lucy's decendents because there were so many walking apes back then. I liked this article. Thanks.