We may not be cousins to Neanderthals, after all:

[Althalus]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Today's humans are not genetic relatives of Neanderthals, an Italian study suggests.

Cro-Magnon man won out over Neanderthal man, but without genetic mixing, Italian researcher Giorgio Bertorelle and his team report in the US Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The report lends evidence to the theory that anatomically modern humans emerged from Africa some 150,000 years ago and eventually displaced earlier humans, such as Neanderthals in Europe, but without mixing.

They extracted DNA from the skeletons of two anatomically modern Cro-Magnon men (Homo sapiens sapiens), who inhabited Europe between 23,000 and 25,000 years ago.

The DNA was compared with extracts from the anatomically archaic Neanderthal

View: Full Article | Source: Yahoo News

[Sidhe]

I just read a book, which was on the whole not very good I think, but which did explain one reason why the Cro Magnons were able to win out over the much stronger Neanderthals.

The facial characteristics of Cro Magnon adults looked just like Neanderthal children.

Neanderthals would have thought we were cute..

And then we stabbed 'em..

[FreyKade]

if this id so, why do some humans also have nethandrial traits (eg short, slping forehed)?

[Sidhe]

Neanderthals and Cro Magnon man evolved separately, but from the same forebearer (Homo Ergaster, aka Homo Erectus I think..). That accounts for any physical similarities between the two distinct groups, since now direct transfer of DNA has been ruled out.