Chapter 26, Problem 3CT

Summary Introduction

To explain: The reduced fitness in hybrids arising from genetic incompatibility could have, overtime, led to the elimination of the Neanderthal Y alleles from the H. sapien gene pool.

Concept introduction: Neanderthals and human beings share a common ancestor and both have said to have been occupied closer niches. During these periods, interspecific breeding might have occurred. As a result, current day European and Asian population have Neanderthal DNA in their autosomes. Neanderthals became extinct, but human beings survived.