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Is it not equally likely the other way around - that the Neanderthal mitochondria disappeared because of unsuccessful mixed females or other genetic drift?
by thedevil 11y ago
Is it not equally likely the other way around - that the Neanderthal mitochondria disappeared because of unsuccessful mixed females or other genetic drift?
- klipt 11y agoYeah, given the symmetrical evidence: no Neanderthal Y chromosome DNA, and no Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA - it seems most gendered hypotheses you could come up with should also work with the genders switched?
- danieltillett 11y agoNo because of the way genetics works it is much more likely to be the Y chromosome that is lost. First the Y chromosome is under stronger indirect selection than the mitochondria due to asymmetric mating. Second in mammals when two different species have a genetic incompatibility this incompatibility manifests in the male offspring. Both of theses point towards male Neanderthal female African as the way this hybridization happened. Edit. I should add the scientific paper behind this New Scientist article proposes a precise genetic mechanism for how the Neanderthal Y chromosome is lost which is further evidence the loss is due Y Chromosome incompatibility.