Neanderthals are our ancestors, study finds

I have long been stating that I am part Neanderthal. I have long believed that all Europeans are part Neanderthal. I believe it helps to account for the diversity of hair, eye, and skin color amongst Europeans, as well as some other aspects of whiteness (e.g. a higher rate of Apegers, Autism, and other mental divergences mistakenly categorized as "abnormal", when they are just Neanderthal mental types).

This proud Neanderthal (though diluted) is glad that the issue has finally been put to rest. I am Neanderthal, hear me roar! (and pound my club!)

RE: Neanderthals are our ancestors, study finds

In a stunning scientific feat, an international research team has deciphered the genome of long-extinct Neanderthals, revealing that they are our ancestors.

Modern humans likely interbred with Neanderthals, the scientists conclude in a paper published today -- and 30,000 years after they disappeared, leaving behind bones and tools, traces of them can also be found in many of us, in our DNA.

Researchers extracted and sequenced genetic material from a pill-sized amount of crushed bones found in a cave in Croatia. Then, a Harvard geneticist led efforts to compare the ancient DNA with present-day human genomes. Not only did the team find strong support for the controversial mating theory, but they also produced a catalog of genetic mutations that set humans apart, yielding potential clues about why we succeeded while Neanderthals died off.

John Hawks, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, compared the discovery to "those first pictures from the Apollo spacecraft where you see the whole Earth from space and it really changes the way people think about Earth.

"They've taken an extinct group of people who don't exist anymore and they've discovered that extinct group of people is still in us," said Hawks, who was not involved in the research. "It really has changed our view of humanity."...