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Assignment for Nova Decoding Neanderthals

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Mesh Moh
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8 views

Assignment for Nova Decoding Neanderthals

Uploaded by

Mesh Moh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1) What is the FOXP2 gene?

Starting with the leg bone fragments found in Vindija cave in Croatia, what
did Svante Pääbo and his team have to do to be able to compare Neanderthal and modern human
forms of this gene? What did they find out about FOXP2, and what does it mean?

The FOXP2 gene is linked to the aspects of both language and speech abilities in human beings.
Svante Pääbo and his teammates started conducting their analysis using samples of leg bone fragments
from the Vindija cave in Croatia. This choice was prioritized because the site and samples were rich in
well-preserved Neanderthal DNA. They started by extracting the DNA and utilized enzymes in eliminating
bacterial contamination. After they extracted clean samples, they did sequence analysis for the
Neanderthal genome and did its comparison with the modern human genome with a specific focus on
the FOXP2 gene. They then found out that Neanderthals comprised a similar FOXP2 gene as modern
humans, with identical chemical bases aligned with a similar order. This finding suggests that
Neanderthals had the capacity for language and complex communication similar to modern humans,
challenging the notion that they were cognitively inferior in this regard.

2) What evidence is discussed that suggests symbolic behavior by the Neanderthals? What evidence
suggests the possibility of burial rituals?

Some findings that have led to a presumption of Neanderthal practicing symbolical behavior include
fragments of manganese dioxide that were used as crayons; bird bones with cut marks, showing that the
Neanderthals utilized their feathers to adorn themselves; and shells bearing pigments found in several
Neanderthals’ sites. Zilhao’s findings in Spain, for instance, shells and bones with pigments, show that
Neanderthals used cosmetics for symbolic reasons, showing that the Neanderthals indeed thought and
had a social purpose. The main anthropological proof of burial rites originates from Michael Walker’s
team in Andalucian Spain, wherein Neanderthal bones have been postured in a way that pointed
towards burial. The positioning of a young female’s corpse in a vulnerable pose, suggesting a fetal
position, and the presence of the severed parts of the panther, probably trophies or offerings, are also
evidence of ritualism.

3) What did Svante Pääbo and his team learn about interbreeding by comparing Neanderthal and
modern human genomes, and what was John Hawks able to add to this picture? If Hawks is correct,
what finally led to the end of the Neanderthals?

Svante Pääbo and his team discovered that non-African humans possess 1-4%. The result
suggested that the interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans occurred. This gene flow
gave modern humans a lift regarding immunity against diseases. In this study, the author, John Hawks,
built from the work done by other groups by considering a more significant number of human genomes
and discovered that the population density influenced the amount of Neanderthal inherited from them.
Europeans were found to have inherited almost 2 percent of their genetic material from the
Neanderthals.Tuscans possessed nearly one percent more than other Europeans, meaning there was a
crossing over a long period where Neanderthals inhabited regions. Hawks’ results suggest that
Neanderthals exist within the framework of the modern human gene pool and contributed to the pool
through several generations of cohabitation and breeding, which devoured the Neanderthals as an
entity. The extinction was thus not stadial but progressive, making this genetic swamping occur over tens
of thousands of years.

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