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Fossil Indicates Denisovans Had Fingers Similar To Human

Denisovans were similar to humans . A finger bone has been found that is human-like. Neanderthals had quite different fingers than Homo sapiens. Only five fossils remain of Denisovans a little finger, a mandible and three molars. Despite artistic depictions of the hominid it is not know what they looked like. Denisovans  were much further ahead in their development than Neanderthals. It seems that  Denisovans  and humans followed a similar evolutionary path , while Neanderthals became large animal hunters and developed muscular bodies. Neanderthal could have taken on dangerous animals and survive while humans would succumb. Though  Denisovans  branched off from Neanderthals , just why they became more like humans is not known. Maybe common habitats make for creatures of the same ilk. There is evidence that the three types of apes interbred. This is a mystery in itself because the missing Y Chromosome would make fertile progeny impossible. What many scientists do not tak

Brave New World of Criminal Investigation

We are entering a brave new world where DNA will be accurately read to predict eye color, distance between the eyes and nose shape. This will greatly improve police work in solving serious crime. Even knowing whether a suspect is bald is helpful. Genes contain single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs).  These can now show whether someone is probably bald. We have some way to go because of the complex interaction of male and female chromosomes. A rough composite picture will be soon be available. This can be used to screen out suspects. Facial metrics is advancing rapidly. Analysis of insulin-like growth hormone (IGF-1) and human growth hormone (HGH) can give a rough picture of build and height. The importance of mitochondrial DNA which passes along the female line is well known. This can predict ancestry using Y chromosome (NRY) and autosomal markers. Patterns for Europeans, white Americans and East Asians have been identified. In the future the crime rate could be significant