Professor Dave writes “When people think of “cavemen”, they are typically thinking of Neanderthals, not just because they were so similar to us, but also because they were the first extinct hominins ever discovered in the 19th century.
We have learned quite a lot about these hominins since their discovery, how they differ from us, and what their demise must have been. We have also learned about a similar group called Denisovans. What is the relationship between these hominins and ourselves?”
Ron S
I had always thought (through the story of Adam and Eve) that men and women had a different number of ribs… But no, under normal circumstances both male and female have 24.
What’s interesting is the difference in the number of paired chromosomes between ape and human… Apes have 24 pairs while humans have 23 pairs.
The 23rd or smallest pair of chromosomes determines male with the XY pair of chromosomes, or female with the XX pair of chromosomes.
Seems to me God probably would’ve communicated this to a less scientific human from the past in a way he could understand, relate to, but also for us to know about his teachings and the written word as truth in the future, such as describing chromosomes as similar to ribs.
I seriously wonder if those Neanderthals didn’t have 24 sets of chromosomes just like apes and were a lot more hairy or ape-like or ape-looking than those paintings or wax dummies in museums lead you to believe. 🙊
Maybe there’s your missing rib. God bless
Ron S
The removal of a set of chromosomes is the missing link.
Ron S
IMO even those who don’t study certain sciences need to understand or view how even the smallest differences in genetic similarity make a drastic change both physically, down to the smallest fragmentation in changes altering vast thought processes.
If I took a banana and cut off 40% of it, you’d still look at it and say “Oh a banana!”. Genetics doesn’t work that way… Especially when you consider (depending who you ask) a banana is 40-60% genetically similar to human. You don’t look at a banana and think “Wow, it’s halfway there to being human!”… Or if you do, maybe you’re the banana, 😜.
Cats are 90% genetically similar to humans and dogs 94% genetically similar to human, chimps 98.8%. If you’re mistaking any of these for your Uncle Louie or Aunt Gertrude, either you need glasses or they seriously need a haircut, but at least these creatures are closer to being relatable to us with certain characteristics. In other words 4.8% doesn’t sound like much, but it’s the difference between a dog and a tree swinging chimp.
Both dog and chimp potentially could (as Elon Musk aggressively puts it) “Rip your balls or your face off” though. Personally I think Elon might be holding a little too tight onto his man-card because he subconsciously knows the name “Musk” is derived from more than just the scent glands on a rutting buck and is actually tied to a beautiful flower called the “Musk flower” or AKA the “Monkey flower” used for perfume.
Embrace your inner flower Elon, not the over focused nut ripping monkey for crying out loud😳! Jk, I actually think Elon is a good guy and I hope he thinks about safety measures or safeguards for the future, in all aspects of life, for everyone.
But anyway… I just find it fascinating that the difference between just part of one of the smallest paired chromosomes from looking like an X and shortening one side just a tad to make a Y, is only .1% or “one tenth of one percent”the difference in the genetic similarity between a human man and a woman. I thought maybe the world needed to be reminded of the difference on occasion.
If your own carcass gets excavated iiiin… 🤔Oh, what is the minimum timeframe for desecrating a tomb or grave? I forget… A thousand years I’ll say.
When or if your bones ever get dug up by an archaeologist in 1000 years, your lipstick might be nothing but dust, but true women will always have their makeup in the only way that truly matters, genetically:)
God bless all the ladies out there. 🙏🏼
Craig F
For me there is way too much difference in the proportions of Sasquatch and Neanderthals, not to mention the use of fire to cook food and advanced tool making. That is why in my guessing I go back much farther to Paranthropus or a similarly distant ancestor to find the connection between modern humans and Sasquatch. The idea that there is a “missing link” is a bit of a red herring. The family tree in the development of modern man now appears to be much more complex than was once thought, or so I read. For my own I don’t know anything, I just like to read about these topics.
Just another Sasquatch related idea is that the use of or non use of fire to prepare food has continued to drive Sasquatch in a different direction from modern humans. And although I believe Sasquatch split off at a much more primitive place on the tree than Neanderthal, it doesn’t mean they stopped developing. They are not frozen in the ancient past in terms of their abilities just because they look so ancient in form. Thanks for posting this.
Greewahhh!
Charles R
I liked your assessment Craig F. Back when I was young the thinking was some kind of linear progression out of Africa 3 million plus maybe years ago. Since the 1960s this has been pretty much thrown out, and now it is many different types like a brachces of a tree and in years to come this will probably change. Currently Dr, Meldrum supports your Paranthropus as a possiblility due to similar head structure, though of course much less mass.