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SUMMARY:Neanderthal interbreeding: fact or fiction? - Prof Bill Amos\, Dep
 artment of Zoology\, University of Cambridge
DTSTART:20160504T153000Z
DTEND:20160504T163000Z
UID:TALK64881@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Aurélien Mounier
DESCRIPTION:It is now widely accepted that non-Africans carry a few percen
 t of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes.  Although diverse analyses come to 
 the same conclusion they all share the common assumption that mutation rat
 e is constant.  Several studies show that this assumption is false.  Reana
 lysis shows that key predictions of a model based on introgression are not
  met.  At the same time\, patterns predicted by a higher mutation rate in 
 Africa fit well with the data.  I argue that if interbreeding did occur it
  was very rare and little if any Neanderthal DNA persists today in you or 
 me.  I end by speculating why such a porous idea so quickly gained widespr
 ead acceptance.
LOCATION:Seminar Room\, Henry Wellcome Building\, Division of Biological A
 nthropology\, Fitzwilliam Street\, Cambridge\, CB2 3QG
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