Sex.
If they could interbreed, they did.
No getting around this.
Granted, two populations could have been totally
compatible but, being separated by great
distance or geographic barriers, they could have
been prevented from interbreeding.
Habilis was quite small. Being impregnated with
the baby of a significantly larger Homo, with one
presumes to be "Larger Homo" genes, could out
right kill them.
Think of a chihuahua. The dog. If you impregnated
it with the puppies of a great dane, it's likely that
one or more will grow so big as to kill the mother
before they're ever born.
And of course two populations can grow so
physically distinct that they are no longer capable
of interbreeding.
There's also cultural barriers.
Like mating rituals, sure. Or cannibalism. Anything
cultural -- non physical -- that prevents mating.
But absent a reason for NOT mating, we always have
to assume that any to populations of Homo (and pre
Homo) interbred. They mixed.
In practical terms? Let's say Lucy's population are
descended from Aquatic Ape. We all share a common
ancestor. Well, Lucy's ilk would have been
interbreeding with Aquatic Ape groups, when they
crossed paths, right up until something stopped them
from mixing. There's no reason to assume that just
because they became a distinct populations it means
that interbreeding was impossible. Something had to
stop it from happening.
They had to be separated. Physically, like distance.
Or culturally. Or biologically.
Hm, you had
Sex. If they could interbreed, they did. No getting around this.mixing. There's no reason to assume that just because they became a distinct populations it means that interbreeding was impossible. Something had to stop it from happening.
Granted, two populations could have been totally compatible but, being separated by great distance or geographic barriers, they could have been prevented from interbreeding.
Habilis was quite small. Being impregnated with the baby of a significantly larger Homo, with one presumes to be "Larger Homo" genes, could out right kill them.
Think of a chihuahua. The dog. If you impregnated it with the puppies of a great dane, it's likely that one or more will grow so big as to kill the mother before they're ever born.
And of course two populations can grow so physically distinct that they are no longer capable of interbreeding.
There's also cultural barriers.
Like mating rituals, sure. Or cannibalism. Anything cultural -- non physical -- that prevents mating.
But absent a reason for NOT mating, we always have to assume that any to populations of Homo (and pre
Homo) interbred. They mixed.
In practical terms? Let's say Lucy's population are descended from Aquatic Ape. We all share a common ancestor. Well, Lucy's ilk would have been interbreeding with Aquatic Ape groups, when they crossed paths, right up until something stopped them from
They had to be separated. Physically, like distance. Or culturally. Or biologically.
Lucy afarensis was most likely a fossil relative of Gorilla:
Besides, Pliocene Homo was NOT even in Africa then:
humans & orangs & Asian animals (vs Gorilla & Pan & all Afr.mammals) lack Pliocene African retroviral DNA.
Marc Verhaegen wrote:
Lucy afarensis was most likely a fossil relative of Gorilla:
You're talking end point here.
NOT where Lucy came from, but where you believe she ended up.
Regardless, Lucy shares a common ancestors with modern Homo.
Even if no modern Homo descend from Lucy, Lucy descends from
a common ancestor. And her ilk remained co fertile for a very long
time -- maybe hundreds of thousands of years, maybe a million
years...
Lucy's kind were very successful. They spread, they learned to
exploit new ecological niches. The ones closest to the starting
point? The ones occupying the areas where waterside groups
pushed inland? They kept interbreeding with the waterside
group until something stopped them.
Maybe it was the retrovirus.
The Red Sea periodically opened & closed -- maybe it was during
a period where it was open, and movement between the continents
was stopped or at least drastically slowed...
So Lucy's kind began as one and same species/population as the
Waterside population. Then Lucy's kind pushed inland and spread.
And the further they got from the point of entry to that inland
world, the less their evolution was moderated by genetic influx
(from that waterside population)....
Besides, Pliocene Homo was NOT even in Africa then:That is one way of interpreting the evidence. There are other ways.
humans & orangs & Asian animals (vs Gorilla & Pan & all Afr.mammals) lack Pliocene African retroviral DNA.
I believe you are mostly right. That, elements of the same species
that gave rise to us were in Africa back then, but that the retrovirus
wiped them out. If they remained co fertile with Lucy and/or Ardi,
they would have been absorbed into those populations, vanishing.
The think here, and you need to understand this: You model works
either way.
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