Anthropology
Related: About this forumwryter2000
(47,440 posts)Homo sapiens sapiens - us
Homo sapiens neanderthalensis - Neanderthal
The same species, different subspecies
Am I remembering this wrong?
2naSalit
(92,683 posts)You are correct. There is one human species with multiple varieties, period. Haven't watched the video yet, not sure I want to looking at the title.
wryter2000
(47,440 posts)That's why I turned it off and asked about this.
2naSalit
(92,683 posts)The othering of people based on characteristics of their variety type is basically racist. But the term as we know it, racist, is a misnomer since race is not a real thing. Ya know what I mean, I mean, ya know what I mean?
wryter2000
(47,440 posts)I guess there is a taxonomic concept of race, but it doesnt apply to our species.
2naSalit
(92,683 posts)Random Boomer
(4,249 posts)The line between species and sub-species is kinda fuzzy and always subject to change. Taxonomy is really an abstract concept we're trying to superimpose on nature, and our schema isn't always a precise fit.
For instance, wolves and dogs used to be considered separate species, now they're categorized as sub-species. They share approximately 99.9% of their DNA, which is more than enough commonality to enable cross-breeding. But even so, you can immediately tell when you're looking at a wolf versus a dog.
Humans share approximately 99.7% of their DNA with Neanderthals, so no, we're not the exact same species, but we're pretty close. Yet we're different enough that humans would have recognized that Neanderthals were "not us" upon running into each other.
wryter2000
(47,440 posts)I didn't know that about wolves and dogs. Some dogs do look like wolves to me. But a daschund sure doesn't. Wolves must have a lot of genetic diversity.
I have a friend who has some Neanderthal DNA. I guess it turns up on those DNA tests you can order.