Since the first encounter of the Neanderthal skulls, scientists were unable to come to a conclusion on a precise link between modern humans and the Neanderthals (Bonvillian and Miller 2013:274). However, whether or not there is an existing link before the Neanderthals came into contact with modern humans, it is not unreasonable to say that the two species interbred with one another considering that they lived in close proximities. Furthermore, through the emerging technology in analysing DNA and skeletal comparisons, there is evidence that leads to a conclusion that the Neanderthals and modern humans did in fact interbreed.
The Neanderthals and modern humans appear to have co-existed until as recently as 24,000 years ago (Bonvillian and Miller …show more content…
Therefore, it is evident that these two species co-existed in close ranges for a long period of time, thus allowing multiple opportunities for interbreeding.
The opportunity to interbreed between the Neanderthals and modern humans is evident, but more definite evidence of whether or not they interbred can be seen in the data observed from the skeletal analysis of succeeding populations, where the Neanderthals were once located. Although there has yet to be a globally accepted list of traits that characterize the Neanderthals, many anthropologists believe that the Neanderthals have distinct physical features that separate them from modern humans (Bonvillian and Miller 2013:275). Some of the features believed to be unique to the species are larger teeth compared to modern humans, thick skulls, and heavy brow ridges (Bonvillian and Miller 2013:275). Other complexions included retromolar space, posterior placement of mandibular mental foramen, and mastoid tubercle (Caspari et al. 2004:531). In a few archaeological sites, they contain fossils that have exclusive …show more content…
Additionally, when re-evaluating DNA, scientists have discovered a small percentage of Neanderthal DNA among some modern humans (Bonvillian and Miller 2013:274). Mitochondrial DNA was once one of the most predominant evidence against the Neanderthal interbreeding with modern humans. The initial studies suggested that the mitochondrial hypervariable I extracted from a Neanderthal specimen in the Feldhofer cave, located in Germany, indicated that there was a high degree of divergence between the Neanderthals and modern humans (Herrera J et al. 2008:250). However, these initial studies have come to question when considering the hypervariable I and II sequences together, providing a much different result than initial studies have stated (Caspari et al. 2004:534). The new result showed that “African sequences form an outgroup to 367 Africans and non-Africans and two Neanderthals, who thereby are not on a different branch from the later humans” (Caspari et al. 2004:534). In other words, the mitochondrial DNA tree could not justify that there was a strong separation of the Neanderthals from modern humans (Caspari et al. 2004:534). In addition to the mitochondrial DNA, recent emergence of technology has allowed scientists to determine new data, suggesting that 1 to 4 percent of the Neanderthal DNA can be found in non-African modern European populations (Bonvillian and