Here is what ChatGPT says about “Are Neanderthals our Direct Ancestors?”
I need to write a paper about how Neanderthals are not our direct ancestors
Many people have a misconception that Neanderthals are our direct ancestors or early members of our own species Homo sapiens. However, this is not true. Neanderthals are actually our cousins, who evolved from a common ancestor with us about 600,000 to 800,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were a distinct species of human, known as Homo neanderthalensis, who lived in Europe and Asia from over 200,000 years ago until less than 30,000 years ago. They had some unique features that adapted them to cold climates, such as a large nose, a robust body and a large brain.
Neanderthals were also capable of making tools, using fire and burying their dead. Some evidence suggests that they may have had some form of culture and religion as well. They were not primitive or stupid as some stereotypes suggest.
However, Neanderthals did not give rise to modern humans. Our species Homo sapiens originated in Africa during the last 250,000 years from non-Neanderthal ancestors. We spread from Africa during the last 60,000 years and replaced other human lines such as the Neanderthals.
How this replacement happened is still unclear. It could have been due to conflict or competition for resources. It could also have been due to environmental changes or diseases that favored us over them.
What is clear is that Neanderthals and modern humans did interact and interbreed on some occasions. This is evident from the fact that some people today (particularly in Eurasia) have traces of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes.
However, this does not mean that we are descended from Neanderthals. The amount of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans is very small (less than 4%) and does not affect our physical appearance or behavior significantly.
Therefore, we can conclude that Neanderthals are not our direct ancestors but rather our distant relatives who shared a common history with us for a brief period of time.
World of Paleoanthropology 
I do not agree with the contention that Neanderthals are not our “direct ancestors”. If I have Neanderthal DNA (I do) and it can be traced back to individuals (it can), they are my direct ancestors. I am descended from all sapiens and neanderthals that had a part in making me, me. Thats how Genealogy works.
However, Seth I think you are making a point that sapiens and neanderthals diverged at some point, but individuals did later interact. We had to be related closely enough at that time for the offspring to be fertile.
The term “descended from” has a different meaning in genealogy vs what you are describing in the post.
Perhaps that needs to be clarified, Seth.
Julia Julia Olsen Web Design & Technology phone: (520) 276-9561 email: julia@creativeraven.net Tucson, AZ .
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I am glad you have your opinions, but we are dealing with facts right now. A species you coexist with cannot be your ancestor. You also have half of the DNA of a banana, that doesn’t make bananas your ancestors. The amount of Neanderthal dna you have is a non factor. I realize that people who have Neanderthal DNA (all of us) take pride in that, but it shouldn’t get in the way of your conclusions due to your biases. Neanderthals are not our direct ancestors. That is a fact.
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“Neanderthals are not our direct ancestors. That is a fact.” I think this could be a matter of semantics. Source please.
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The source was already given. Chat GPT, which brings together dozens of sources from the internet to make a blog post. You can also watch any of my interviews with Experts on Neanderthals, where they all explain this exact topic, and you will learn why we are not direct descendants of Neanderthals. A simple search of up to date papers on Neanderthals will also provide you with this information. I would like to see where you find that it says they are indeed our ancestors, but if it is published more than 10 years prior it will most likely not stand up in those instances to modern science.
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https://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics/ancient-dna-and-neanderthals
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As opposed to the common opinion,
Skhul 9-like early Sapiens were the ancestor of Neanderthals.
The common ancestral population of moderns, Neanderthals and Denisovans was NOT in Africa before 500 ka,
instead, was arisen with the Levantine macroevolution ~140 ka
See the preprint:
Evidence for Pre-Sapiens’ extinction, Sapiens’ macroevolutionary birth, and DNA-driven retro-progressive evolution
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Seth, I am in agreement with what your experiment with Chat GPT relays to us.
With respect, I will quote from the reply by Creative Raven:
“I think this could be a matter of semantics. Source please.'”
It is a little bit “semantic”, but on the other hand…
Lions and tigers can interbreed.
Does that make one of them the ancestor of the other?
If so, which one is the ancestor?
It seems to me (a non-scientist) that lions and tigers share a common ancestry. But one did not generate the other, though each at some stage in their development probably had genetic influences on the other’s development.
Johnny
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NOTE: Dear Seth
Ignorance of alternative opinions is not a healthy scientific approach.
REAL (post-140 ka) Neanderthals were Sapiens.
A new evolutionary process produced them: DNA-driven Retro-Progressive Evolution.
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Ignorance? I know of the alternatives. Thank you. They are just incorrect. Especially the paper you linked. Homo sapiens did not arrive any earlier than 300k years, and the first sentence says they could have evolved 2 million years ago. That’s ludicrous.
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” the first sentence says they could have evolved 2 million years ago. That’s ludicrous.”
YES, ludicrous. That is Multiregional Evolution Model. I am NOT a multiregionalist.
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Neanderthal DNA runs as high as 7% in some Homo Sapiens ………….. There was cross breeding on many occasions.
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