So a Centuries-Old Debate, Are Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens the Same Species?

So the Centuries-Long Debate, Are Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens the Same Species?

"Neanderthal, which disappeared from the archaeological record about 40,000 years ago, is considered our closest evolutionary relative."

"But since the first discovery of Neanderthal remains in the 1800s, scientists have debated whether Neanderthals were their own species or if they were just a subset of our own species, Homo sapiens, which has since become extinct."

"The question of whether Neanderthals can be considered the same species as modern humans is complicated by our understanding of what species means, says Jeff Schwartz, a physical anthropologist and emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh."

So a Centuries-Old Debate, Are Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens the Same Species?

The most common definition, known as the biological species concept, describes species as groups of individuals that can naturally interact and produce viable offspring. But even today, some strange hybrids undermine this definition.

The translation of "Merupakan Makhluk Hasil Persilangan" to English is "Is a Creature Resulting from Hybridization".

“Horse and donkey can breed, but the mule they produce is infertile, so both are considered different species,” said Schwartz. However, other combinations do produce viable offspring. This includes liger (a hybrid between lion and tiger) and beefalo (a hybrid between cattle and American bison).

Scientists Can Differentiate Bones from Both Groups

"For a long time, scientists did not know whether Neanderthals and modern humans engaged in sexual interaction, so this definition does not provide much enlightenment. In contrast, assessments based on Neanderthal anatomy, which is quite different from H. sapiens, allow experts to often distinguish bones from both groups."

"Neanderthals have a longer and lower skull with a more pronounced brow ridge and a less prominent chin than H. sapiens, for example, and their bodies are more muscular."

"As a result, in 1864, Neanderthals were first classified as their own species, H. neanderthalensis. However, as more ancient human relatives were discovered, such as H. erectus in 1891, H. heidelbergensis in 1907, and H. habilis in 1960, their relationships to each other became increasingly complex."

"Compared to other species, Neanderthals appear more "human," said Schwartz."

"In 1962, a group of anthropologists, geneticists, and behaviorists gathered in Austria to compile and vote on the history of human evolution based on the species that had been discovered at that time. The resulting manuscript, titled "Classification and Evolution of Humans," placed Neanderthals under H. sapiens as a subspecies. "And when I was in college, that is what was taught to me," said Schwartz."

"Only in the 1970s and 1980s were Neanderthals reclassified as their own species based on new analysis, and that is the naming that is most commonly seen to this day."

Source: Live Science

The translation of "Penemuan Tahun 2010" to English is "Discovery Year 2010".

An international team consisting of dozens of researchers published the first draft of the Neanderthal genome, based on three individuals, and compared it with modern humans. Scientists found traces of Neanderthal signatures in the human genome, indicating that Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of modern humans at least 120,000 years ago. Dozens of papers confirm this and find that crossbreeding occurred at various points in time.

“Its implications are clear: Neanderthals and humans interbred,” said Jaume Bertranpetit, an evolutionary biologist at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, to Live Science. He added that Neanderthals and H. sapiens also mated with other early hominid groups, namely Denisovans. So, it’s possible that the three represent different versions of the same species, he said.”

"Bertranpetit points to modern humans as an example."

"People around the world have striking differences in terms of height, skin, hair, and eye color, yet we are very similar from a genetic standpoint. The amount of genetic variation between two individuals is only about 0.1%, meaning that only one base pair out of every 1,000 will be different. In comparison, a 2010 paper showed that the Neanderthal genome is 99.7% identical to that of five modern humans."

“Having a significant difference in morphology does not mean you need to have a significant difference in genetics; it just means you need some differences in certain genes,”
“Therefore, the idea that they are different species makes no sense to me as a geneticist.”

the word Bertranpetit.

"Schwartz argues that genetic evidence has not yet resolved this debate, but he does not feel apprehensive about the rigor of research conducted by other groups. Moving forward, he advocates for an interdisciplinary approach that does not place genetics as the final determinant."

"Source: Live Science"

“We need a holistic approach, and we cannot keep pitting one discipline against another,”

"We must gather and find out," said Schwartz.

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