Neanderthal genes 'survive in us'

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That is what you get messing with girls with a 1200 cc brain, when you have 1600 cc. Neanderthal does seem to have a larger visual cortex, something besides brain size lost in the kids.

Another factor of the time is round heads were common, then long heads take over.

From Mendal, some would have Neanderthal heads, some round, some long, and long had a higher birth survival.

Cro-Magon who had a larger brain than current models, also seems to have had birth problems, for smaller heads survived. Cro-Magon did not last long.

Nature, survival of the survivors.

I'm not sure I buy the suggested Neanderthal origin of autism, but the study that shows the existence of Neanderthal genes in modern humans is actually pretty solid work based on genetic and statistical studies.

Assuming that the most diversity in modern human genomes exist in Africa due to that being the origin of all homo sapiens, that means that only certain genomes have migrated out of Africa. Some combination of the logic of the "Out-of-Africa Theory" and the "Multi-regional Origin Hypothesis" assume that using some African control groups and comparing them to post-migration human groups along with Neanderthals, any shared genes that didn't exist in African populations (the original group) would indicate interbreeding that occurred after humans left the continent.

It just so happens the most recent genetic study strongly suggests that the non-existence of certain genes in sub-Saharan African lineages that happen to be shared between non-African modern humans (in Eurasia) and Neanderthals indicate some interbreeding between AMHs and Neanderthals at some point in prehistory. Even if this can't be proven, it does falsify any notion that these shared genes are due to a common, African ancestor. All this means is that the interbreeding happens to be the most scientifically plausible model to date.

This might help people rethink the concept of the Neanderthal.

Perhaps they weren't any more or less brutish or cavemen than our own ancestors.

Perhaps they were just people, like you and me.

The 1-4 % Neanderthal is people that are non African (And North Africans don't count). The true Africans have 0 % according to this research. So if being part Neanderthal has anything to do with autism there would be no African autistics. Is this true? Notice African Americans don't count since they might have white genes as well. Personally I have a hard time imagine no African autistics. Some people seem to think this heritage is important (like people claiming whites and asians are superior), but would that little of genes matter? Some say we're even that amount of virus DNA. And that genes can be shut off doesn't make things easier either.

I had a boyfriend once who was definately 100% neanderthal.