Bring back the Neanderthals?

[Ivan Sputnik]

A NY Times science article yesterday says that scientists in Germany are planning to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome.

"If the Neanderthal genome were fully recovered, it might in principle be possible to bring the species back from extinction by inserting the Neanderthal genome into a human egg and having volunteers bear Neanderthal infants. There would, however, be great technical and ethical barriers to any such venture."

Any volunteers?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/20/science/20cnd-neanderthal.html?ex=1153627200&en=08693d9635330b0e&ei=5087%0A

[hfojvt]

1. I heard that they already did this almost 61 years ago

The results were horrifying. Just horrifying. :scared: :scared: :evilgrin:

Actually I have read that neanderthals were more advanced and peaceful than the other species that wiped them out. So it would be cool to bring them back. But my bet is that they could interbreed with our ancestors anyway so they survived in a sense. I wonder if the genome project could verify that theory?

[MissHoneychurch]

2. You mean he is one?

But then it doesn't goes together with the "more advanced and peaceful"

[genie_weenie]

3. I recall reading in

one of Isaac Asmiov's books that the negative image of Neanderthals stemmed from the 1940s mannequins which displayed Homo Sapiens Sapiens as lantern jawed, tool & fire using supermen and Homo Sapiens Neanderthals as badly in need of a shave, excessively hairy, hunchbacked subhumans...

[Benfea]

4. Why? We already have Republicans.

I don't get it.