Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by mrpg on Wednesday November 28 2018, @06:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the love-is-in-the-dna dept.

Phys.org:

In recent years, scientists have discovered that early humans moving out of Africa encountered Neanderthals living in parts of what is now Europe and Eastern Asia. In comparing Neanderthal DNA with modern humans, researchers have found that there was a least one pairing that led to offspring, which is reflected in the DNA of humans—approximately 2 percent of the DNA in non-African humans today is Neanderthal. In this new effort, the researchers have found evidence that suggests there was more than one such encounter.

Their findings make logical sense, considering that anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals coexisted for approximately 30,000 years. Recent research by other groups had suggested that multiple offspring-producing unions had occurred—some people in East Asia, for example, were found to have up to 20 percent more Neanderthal DNA than people of strictly European descent. In this new effort, the researchers took a more stringent look to find out once and for all if there had been multiple pairings or just one. They pulled and analyzed data from the 1000 Genomes Project, measuring the amount of Neanderthal DNA in genetic material from volunteers. The first step was separating the data between people of European and Asian ancestry. Doing so suggested that both groups had evidence of early multiple mating events. The researchers then studied the rates of the two groups by creating simulations showing outcomes of differing numbers of mating events between the two groups. Data from the simulations was then fed into a machine-learning algorithm that showed DNA percentage patterns based on the number of cross-breeding events that had occurred.

When you play Barry White, anything can happen.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Wednesday November 28 2018, @11:49PM (1 child)

    by hemocyanin (186) on Wednesday November 28 2018, @11:49PM (#767572) Journal

    I've been listening to the series in audiobook format -- one book left. The setting intrigued me and the writer plainly did a lot of research. She takes pains to point out that everything is fiction of course but it is also plain she tied it to scientific studies and actual artifacts, even going so far as to interview researchers in E. Europe with the help of a translator.

    Anyway, I've really enjoyed it so far but there are some _very_ pornographic scenes in it, particularly beginning with the second book (obviously there are the rapes in the first book but the author definitely likes writing consensual sex scenes). I'm not a prude but I was pretty surprised when the first sex scene went into great detail rather than use some literary technique to say "and they had sex."

    So anyway, this is a great piece of historical-fiction that also happens to be a major bodice ripper -- hunting, drugs, danger, and sex.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Interesting=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Interesting' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Magic Oddball on Thursday November 29 2018, @06:41AM

    by Magic Oddball (3847) on Thursday November 29 2018, @06:41AM (#767667) Journal

    I've never read (or listened to) the series, but I remember the X-rated aspect being an 'open secret' among the girls in my high school, where they were the only books that were more popular than Stephen King's novels. Anytime I hear/see commentary implying teen girls are innocent children who are only corrupted by horny boys I automatically think back to hearing my 14-year-old classmates excitedly whispering about which pages contained the best sex scenes...