Proposed evolutionary origins of Autism

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that autisict features are shared in mammals... strongly suggests that it's not of neanderthal origin. perhaps it was higher in the neanderthal population or something and therefore contributed more so to our current populations... as im willing to buy that we share genese with neanderthals.... but autism is not stictly a human thing

I'd love to read more about this. Do you know any links?

on what specfically? the neanderthal thing or autistic phenotypes? as science has it... most work is done in rodents and their social/learning behaviors.... there's all kinds of mutations and such that generate autisic deficits in their learning abilities.... just go to www.pubmed.gov and search with key words.... autism phenotypes spatial learning social learning and all the like

However, pause and consider this before you let an emotional reaction cloud your judgment. Do not jump to conclusions regarding "what it means" in the "big picture" sense.

The strongest hypotheses I've seen pretty much place high-functioning "Aspies" and those with Asperger's Syndrome into a crucial role in society overall. In fact, if it weren't for such individuals, we all might be having this discussion around a fire at the mouth of some cave rather than on a bulletin board in cyberspace. Don't let that go to your head, either, however, since an all-Aspie population probably would have died off Had it not been for some changes in human society during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic which allowed for your inclusion and subsequent contributions, none of us would be where we are today.

Anatomically modern humans in Africa and Neanderthals in Europe were both behaving pretty much the same way, and for more than a hundred thousand years... until they interbred. That's when the revolution in human culture began. That's what is so amazing. We are the mongrel and superior offspring to either parent species. Can you deal with that?