The ‘short, dark’ stereotype simply isn’t true. And considering that they had brains about 10% larger than ours, they probably weren’t as dim as they’re popularly made out to be either.

Now, if anyone wants to know my take on why they died out; their heavier build means that they were almost certainly too heavy to swim, and thus were forever at a disadvantage when it came to transport, foraging and warfare.

”… their heavier build means that they were almost certainly too heavy to swim, and thus were forever at a disadvantage when it came to transport, foraging and warfare.”

Fun-nee, Spazzm. That’s what we used to tell my cousin Teddy, but that dumb 300 lb. human whale stayed in the water for hours at a time. Wrinkled whale he was.

The !Kung are still mutating redheads, and they’re our direct ancestors; hence my suspicion that it’s a universal gene that keeps reappearing, like — although much rarer and less dramatic — albinism. Oh, shit, I dunno . . . I’m really over my head here. I’ve got some work to do.

Certainly Neanders could’ve been gingers, lightened up through selection by the dark skies of the Ice Age. If we did, and we did, so could they. (I use ”we” to mean human, not Cro-Magnon.”) We lighten or darken according to climatic whims. As to their ”intelligence,” I have commented elsewhere on their lack of a ”symboling” culture, which is the distinguishing mark of our species — despite how many well-meaning primatologists try to get apes to do more than just ape us. They were no doubt an intelligent species — all of our hairy cousins are — just not as ”smart” as us. They didn’t have that extra something that made all the difference. I have no idea why they died out, but knowing the history of homo sapiens sapiens I fear a bloody end.

The Irish, of course, will be the last to fall . . . still talking, talking, with that ”inextinguishable voice.”

We coped with the same climate changes as our hairy cousins; it just seems they weren’t very bright. I know Goldman’s thesis is not highly regarded these days, if it ever was, but we are known for warring over resources, as is every species.

Ahemm… well, the males are.

Neaderthals? How about no chins, HUGE, HUGE! noses and bright red or blond hair and beards fanning out from a round face like an orang utan?

ScienceDaily (Jan. 31, 2008) — New research shows that people with blue eyes have a single, common ancestor. A team at the University of Copenhagen have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye colour of all blue-eyed humans alive on the planet today.”

Friday, 27 September, 2002, 11:51 GMT 12:51 UK
Blondes ‘to die out in 200 years’
Scientists believe the last blondes will be in Finland
The last natural blondes will die out within 200 years, scientists believe.

A study by experts in Germany suggests people with blonde hair are an endangered species and will become extinct by 2202.

Researchers predict the last truly natural blonde will be born in Finland – the country with the highest proportion of blondes.

The frequency of blondes may drop but they won’t disappear

Prof Jonathan Rees, University of Edinburgh
But they say too few people now carry the gene for blondes to last beyond the next two centuries.

The problem is that blonde hair is caused by a recessive gene.

Will rare redheads be extinct by 2100?

By Robin L. Flanigan

She was just walking down the street with her sister, in her old neighborhood, when an elderly woman stopped her car in front of her and called out, “I love your hair! It’s so beautiful!”

Caitlin Tydings was about 8 then, and caught off guard. Now a high-school senior, she has since grown accustomed to strangers commenting on her strawberry-blond locks.

If predictions by the Oxford Hair Foundation come to pass, the number of natural redheads everywhere will continue to dwindle until there are none left by the year 2100.

The reason, according to scientists at the independent institute in England, which studies all sorts of hair problems, is that just 4 percent of the world’s population carries the red-hair gene. The gene is recessive and therefore diluted when carriers produce children with people who have the dominant brown-hair gene.

Dr. John Gray’s explanation of his foundation’s findings: “The way things are going, red hair will either be extremely rare or extinct by the end of the century.”

Analysis of Neolithic remains, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests no European adults could digest the drink at that time.

And one of the more recent theories on eye color says that it is determined by two genes. One is for hue which is either green or not-green. The other is for light/dark. If you have not-green eyes switched to light, they’re blue, gray, etc. If you have not-green eyes switched to dark, they’re brown, black, etc.

There’s nothing to suggest that Neanderthals couldn’t have had red hair and green eyes.

Ah but someone has to strike a pose, and bear the weight of well-tailored clothes…

or

Carlos Tevez?

I still bet it’s a recurring mutation and ain’t going away.

Learning that he does stuff for National Geographic makes him even more awesome.

Wooooo. Music to my ears.

Buddy, why couldn’t the africans have had the recessive gene first? (after the Irish, of course)

Also, Antinous, lovely foofaraw’ing.