I am amazed at how astronomers can figure out the size and atmospheric content of planets hundreds of light years away. I’m amazed that, in this modern world, I can sit and type up a blog and the thoughts that were in my mind, now encoded in words on paper, go out to the masses, out to join all the other words of the world in a big ocean of words, and I am amazed that scientists, analyzing DNA samples from modern people and working backwards, can figure out that the average modern human being has between1 and 4% Neanderthal DNA. I’m kind of interested in the news, but I’m amazed they can figure that out. Seems like magic to me.
Of course, there is the advantage of it not being provably wrong, because nobody now was there then, and there are no living Neanderthals to form a control group. But, they explain the science in the article, and I generally consider the Christian Science Monitor a reliable source.
So, what does it mean? It means, different species of hominids though we were, we could, and did interbreed. Not much. I suspect Jean Auel got it about right in the Clan of the Cave Bear series. There were rape babies, and there were varying levels of acceptance, from tribe to tribe.
What an amazing place the world would be today if the Neanderthals had not gone extinct. Our different natures would have led to different cultures, more different than anything we have among ourselves, and the fusion of our skills…well, who the hell knows, it didn’t happen. Scientists give varying explanations like they weren’t able to adapt to the changing climate, but I suspect there was a war of extinction. Which succeeded, except for that 1-4% part.
Someday, upon our journey to the stars, we may get another chance to meet and communicate with another intelligent species. We probably should try to not kill them off, this time.
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