Amusing....

[Minimalist]

since we probably evolved from Erectus as well.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/mystery-...-us-study/

Mystery ‘hobbits’ found on Indonesian island were not humans like us: study

Diminutive humans that died out on an Indonesian island some 15,000 years ago were not Homo sapiens but a different species, according to a study published Monday that dives into a fierce anthropological debate.

[vorlon13]

Wow.

Missed 'em by only 15,000 years.

[scoobysnack]

Damn cool article! Twas always my goal to go into archaeology, and anthropology, still the best classes I ever took.

So what do you make of this minimalist? Pardon my lack of understanding, but I'm interested in the breeding of neaderthals and homo sapiens, or whatever we called them at that stage? I've heard many Africans say they are the original people, and I tend to understand we came out of Africa, but what's your perspective?

[Minimalist]

I lean towards multi-regionalism. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiregio...ern_humans

Homo Erectus did the bulk of the evolving.

[scoobysnack]

Again very interesting. So from that point of view, the human tree spread out earlier, and we have evolved into different races possibly earlier? To be honest I'm not arguing here, because I really don't know, but find it fascinating. I remember my anthropology teacher saying there is more DNA similarity than difference between the races. I'd be curious more what you think because you are involved in this study I think right?

[Minimalist]

Obviously there is insufficient difference to preclude interbreeding between the races. What we learned a few years ago with the neanderthal genome project is that there was insufficient difference to preclude interbreeding between these so called species. Hence we must now wonder if they were different species at all.

[scoobysnack]

Obviously there is insufficient difference to preclude interbreeding between the races.   What we learned a few years ago with the neanderthal genome project is that there was insufficient difference to preclude interbreeding between these so called species.   Hence we must now wonder if they were different species at all.

Can you push me in the direction with some links. I'd like to learn more.

[Minimalist]

Start here.

https://www.genome.gov/27539119

[scoobysnack]

Thanks. This is a good article how humans that came out of Africa, developed pale skin to absorb vitamin D.

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/04/h...white-skin

I've run into a few black supremacists who say white people are a different species. Kind of blows racism out of the water.

[Minimalist]

The modern humans who came out of Africa to originally settle Europe about 40,000 years are presumed to have had dark skin, which is advantageous in sunny latitudes.

And yet, even today in the Congo rain forest...which could be described in many ways but "sunny" would not be one of them... we get this:



those people should have evolved to lighter skin to better absorb what vitamin D gets in through the sunlight which penetrates the tree canopy.

Similarly in New Guinea....



I suspect it is a little more complicated that just sunlight.