Common Ancestor, Not Interbreeding, Links Neanderthals, Modern Man
New research raises questions about the theory that modern humans and Neanderthals at some point interbred, known as hybridization. The findings of a study by researchers at the Univ. of Cambridge suggests that common ancestry, not hybridization, better explains the average 1-4 percent DNA that those of European and Asian descent (Eurasians) share with Neanderthals. It was published in the journal PNAS.
The scientists found that common ancestry, without any hybridization, explains the genetic similarities between Neanderthals and modern humans. In other words, the DNA that Neanderthal and modern humans share can all be attributed to their common origin, without any recent influx of Neanderthal DNA into modern humans.
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