Hudson Honeybone, '26
Today, the word “Neanderthal” is typically used as a primitive caveman insult. However, one common misconception is that our species, Homo Sapiens, succeeded the Neanderthals as the next best species evolution had to offer. In reality, Homo Sapiens coexisted with the Neanderthal species for a prolonged period of time.
Soon after Homo Sapiens migrated into Neanderthal territory, their population plummeted, and they went extinct by 38,000 B.C. One theory of their demise speculates that Homo Sapiens intermingled with Neanderthal populations, eventually merging the species and eliminating the Neanderthal gene pool. Although the Neanderthal lineage was discontinued, the merger would have had substantial effects on the Homo Sapiens gene pool. More relevant to us today, the Neanderthal-Homo Sapien interbreeding opens up a whole Pandora's box of fiery racial theories.
The Interbreeding Theory:
To reiterate, the interbreeding theory proposes that Homo Sapiens bred with the Neanderthals until there was no longer a distinctive Neanderthal species. However, there is still one major historical/genetic inconsistency surrounding the interbreeding theory: at the time of contact, it's quite likely that the Homo Sapiens population were too far removed from Neanderthals to produce fertile offspring. Although both populations of humans, Sapiens and Neanderthals, descended from the great ape, they evolved along different tracks in response to their different environments. Neanderthals, living in the colder regions of Europe, developed distinct physical traits to combat the cold and hunt their prey. They had larger, meatier bodies with larger brains and unrivaled physical prowess. In parallel, Homo Sapiens, originating in eastern Africa, developed different physical characteristics catered to their arid environment. By the time Homo Sapiens crossed the Arabian Peninsula into Europe, it is likely the two populations had broken specific ties, forming two different species as a result of diverging evolutionary paths. Separate species are incapable of producing fertile offspring, meaning procreation between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals would have been unsustainable and unlikely. Secondly, scientists tend to avoid the theory, since it introduces a potentially explosive propane tank of racially loaded remarks. If the Homo Sapiens who migrated into Europe merged with Neanderthal DNA, then is it likely that bands of Sapiens who migrated to other regions interbred with their respective local species of human as well. Sapiens in East Asia would have merged with Homo Erectus; Sapiens in Southeast Asia would have intermingled with the Denisovans, et cetera. According to this theory, Homo Sapiens are technically hybrids of various ancient human species, meaning that modern day humans possess genetic differences tracing back thousands of years, depending on their ancestry. This is fuel for an inferno of racial justifications, human hierarchies, and conflicts between “pure” sapiens and their muddled brethren– just one more reason scientists tend to dismiss the theory.
*Number Indicate Arrival of Homo Sapiens in Years Before Present
Where’s the Truth:
However, in 2010, a groundbreaking discovery linked Neanderthal DNA extracted from fossils to contemporary human DNA. The discovery was the climax of a 4-year effort to map the Neanderthal genome. The geneticists estimated that 1-4% of the human genome originating from Eurasia is linked to Neanderthal DNA. Years later, a similar study was conducted on the transference of Denisovan DNA, an ancient species of humans hailing from Southeast Asia. The investigation produced an even more shocking result– over 6% of modern Melanesian and Australian Aboriginal DNA is Denisovan DNA. But how could this be possible if the two couldn’t interbreed? Well, one likely explanation is that Homo Sapiens and the two local species (Neanderthals and Denisovans), although evolving in opposite directions, were still barely members of the same species at the time of contact.
It's likely that the two populations interacted just before the specific breaking point, making intercourse uncommon but not entirely impossible. With that estimate in mind, it's likely that some of your genes trace back to our extinct Neanderthal counterparts, so think twice before you call someone a Neanderthal, because they probably are. And you might be too.