Reacción a "A study suggests that interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans occurred mostly between Neanderthal males and modern human females"

Does the press release accurately reflect the study?

“Yes, it is somewhat limited, possibly due to the content of the article, but it is clear and reflects the study well. However, it is often the case that many interpretations of an anthropological or historical nature lack an archaeological foundation—something that, without wishing to downplay the work, is quite common.”

Is the study of good quality?

“The work is very interesting, although I fear it may be somewhat limited in its interpretation—an assessment I make without full knowledge of the study as a whole. On the other hand, since it is confined to the paleogenetic field, I would say that its conclusions are indeed well supported.”

How does this work fit with the existing evidence?

“That is the key question. The results obtained are of enormous interest, especially when analyzing the relationships that both population groups may have had in ancient times. The implications at a technocultural and mobility level may be just as interesting as the type of sex-based interrelationships that occurred.”

Are there important limitations that should be taken into account?

“In general, these paleogenetic studies tend to suffer from a lack of integration with archaeological data. The results must be interpreted within a context in which both human groups developed distinct strategies and possessed clearly different histories. Therefore, the existence of a specific instance of interbreeding at relatively early dates deserves a deeper interpretation in light of the existing record.”

What are the implications for the real world?

“Beyond the anecdotal nature of the results obtained, at a historical scale—and especially for our real lives—the implications are limited. We already knew about this interbreeding, although with current data we are able to analyze it in greater anthropological and chronological detail. In any case, it should teach us that the configuration of our species has been the result of complex processes of hybridization in which individual actions have played their part.”