“we are a different species, no kin to Neanderthal. The DNA testing available so far agrees with the findings.”

As far as I’m aware the only really definitive DNA testing is the mtDNA and Y-chromosome. We know that lines of these are replaced reasonably often in modern human populations let alone ancient ones. Besides which even the mtDNA shows moderns and Neanderthals separated a mere half million years ago. Many species that separated five times as long ago as that are freely able to form hybrids. The idea of calling the two populations separate species is still a bit premature. They may not have formed hybrids but the reason for that is unlikely to have been genetic incompatibility.

The study released by Cambridge University on May 8th of this year (finally!) shows that all humans alive on this planet came from about 10,000 adult modern humans, some whom migrated out of Africa after the Mt. Toba ice age was ending around 55-50,000 years ago.

Neanderthal may have been kin with Hablus or Erectus, but not modern humans. The Bradshawfoundation.com can provide much more facts and figures than I am able to include on this post.

Who we are is back to square one.

Ken

I’m confused here, are you saying that Stringer et al. didn’t factor in the culture aspect? Or are you saying just as there may have been a cultural preference for more gracile H. sapiens, there may have been a cultural preference for more robust Neandertals?

Kambiz

Now about my definition on genetic drift. What I did mean to say is that genetic drift is situation where sample exhibits variance away from the expectation from generation to generation. I guess I overcomplicated the definition so thanks for clarifying it for me and others.