Paleoanthropology, which combines the disciplines of paleontology and physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in fossil hominid evidence such as petrifacted bones and footprints.
Recent article:
Signs of Neanderthals Mating With Humans
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/science/07neanderthal.html
{snip}
These humans, in any case, were not fully modern and they did not expand from Africa, an episode that occurred some 30,000 years later. If there was any interbreeding, the flow of genes should have been both ways, Dr. Klein said, but Dr. Paabo's group sees evidence for gene flow only from Neanderthals to modern humans.
The Leipzig group's interbreeding theory would undercut the present belief that all human populations today draw from the same gene pool that existed a mere 50,000 years ago. "What we falsify here is the strong out-of-Africa hypothesis that everyone comes from the same population,"Â Dr. Paabo said.
In his and Dr. Reich's view, Neanderthals interbred only with non-Africans, the people who left Africa, which would mean that non-Africans drew from a second gene pool not available to Africans.
Recent article:
Signs of Neanderthals Mating With Humans
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/07/science/07neanderthal.html
{snip}
These humans, in any case, were not fully modern and they did not expand from Africa, an episode that occurred some 30,000 years later. If there was any interbreeding, the flow of genes should have been both ways, Dr. Klein said, but Dr. Paabo's group sees evidence for gene flow only from Neanderthals to modern humans.
The Leipzig group's interbreeding theory would undercut the present belief that all human populations today draw from the same gene pool that existed a mere 50,000 years ago. "What we falsify here is the strong out-of-Africa hypothesis that everyone comes from the same population,"Â Dr. Paabo said.
In his and Dr. Reich's view, Neanderthals interbred only with non-Africans, the people who left Africa, which would mean that non-Africans drew from a second gene pool not available to Africans.
