London - They may sometimes be bad-mannered and lack a touch of sophistication.
But modern men may not be the Neanderthals they occasionally seem to be, scientists have shown.
According to research, the Y chromosome - which contains the genes that make men male - was not inherited from our ancient cousins. This means modern men cannot blame their inner-caveman for any bad behaviour.
In the first study of its kind, scientists analysed the Y chromosome from a Neanderthal male from 49 000 years ago whose remains had been found in a Spanish cave. This showed the Y chromosome, which is passed down the male line, to be different to any found in modern man.
Researcher Professor Carlos Bustamante, of Stanford University in California, said: “We haven’t observed the Neanderthal Y chromosome DNA in any human ever tested. This doesn’t prove it’s totally extinct but it probably is.”
The two groups are believed to have lived alongside each other and interbred 50 000 years ago, and modern humans do carry other pieces of Neanderthal DNA.
It is possible that the Neanderthal Y chromosome was incompatible with human DNA. This would have led to part-human, part-Neanderthal baby boys having a higher chance of miscarriage if they had the Neanderthal Y chromosome, and it gradually disappearing, the American Journal of Human Genetics reports.
But while we may not carry the Neanderthal Y chromosome, previous research shows that up to four percent of the DNA in modern humans comes from our caveman cousins. Researcher John Capra, of Vanderbilt University in the US, explained: “Our ancestors interbred with Neanderthals and there is still a remnant of that interbreeding in many modern humans living today.”
Daily Mail