Did Neanderthals “Hybridize” With Modern Humans?

by Ken Ham on September 19, 2022
Featured in Ken Ham Blog

Do you have Neanderthal DNA in your genome? You might, as (according to one article) many people “living today have a small component of Neanderthal DNA in their genes.” In the evolutionary worldview, this is the result of “hybridization” as different “archaic human lineages” (not just Neanderthal) mixed with humans during the “evolution of our species.”

This is all in the science news again because a new study was recently released that looked at ancient human fossil remains to help researchers recognize features in these skeletons that suggest the person might have been a “hybrid” (for example, someone with a Neanderthal father but a “modern human” mother). The study found that “signals of hybridization were evident in braincases and jaws, but not in faces.”

They were fully human, descendants of Adam just like you and me, with some unique genetic variations, some of which live on in the genomes of today’s people.

So, what does all this talk of “hybridization” mean within a biblical worldview? Well, we understand it’s not really “hybridization” at all—it’s humans having children with other humans. Yes, Neanderthals do have some unique genetic variations, but the fact that they could have children with “modern” humans clearly shows that, as we’d expect starting with God’s Word, Neanderthals weren’t some kind of subhuman cousin or a different branch or lineage on our family tree. They were fully human, descendants of Adam just like you and me, with some unique genetic variations, some of which live on in the genomes of today’s people. Actually, because Neanderthals were totally human, they have human DNA which we all share anyway.

Every time you see another Neanderthal study in the news, be reminded of the truth of God’s Word and how the evolutionary belief that these people were subhuman dramatically failed. Why? Because the history in God’s Word really is true and evolution is nothing more than a faulty interpretation of the evidence based on a wrong starting point: man’s ideas.

Get More Answers on Answers News

This item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Rob Webb, Roger Patterson, and Tim Chaffey. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also covered the following topics:

  • Forcing Christians to pay for abortions is unconstitutional.
  • Did walking make us human?
  • Was the deep ocean “hotter” than thought?
  • And more!

Watch the entire episode of Answers News for September 19, 2022.

Be sure to join us each Monday at 2 p.m. (ET) on my Facebook page or the Answers in Genesis Facebook page for Answers News. You won’t want to miss this unique news program that gives science and culture news from a distinctly biblical and Christian perspective.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.

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