Traveller Archaeology Question

[Spinward Scout]

Here's an interesting article about evidence that a Modern Human killed a Neanderthal 50,000 years ago.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090722-human-neanderthal-murder.html

So, the question is: at what point in the evolutionary ladder could the Zhodani and Vilani (as well as the other Minor Humaniti) have been at when GrandFather or his children picked them up and transplanted them 300,000 years ago? And were any Neanderthal taken along with them?

Also makes me wonder if other races could have evolutionary cousins. Seems to me that the K'kree wouldn't harm an evoCousin unless they ate meat.

 

[Trent]

Here's an interesting article about evidence that a Modern Human killed a Neanderthal 50,000 years ago.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090722-human-neanderthal-murder.html

So, the question is: at what point in the evolutionary ladder could the Zhodani and Vilani (as well as the other Minor Humaniti) have been at when GrandFather or his children picked them up and transplanted them 300,000 years ago? And were any Neanderthal taken along with them?

Also makes me wonder if other races could have evolutionary cousins. Seems to me that the K'kree wouldn't harm an evoCousin unless they ate meat.

I think the k'kreeps evolved from an omnivore, as evidence I submit the fact that the hivers were apparently able to get some k'kree to eat meat or at least meat flavorings, indicating the k'kreep digestive system could handle meat.

 

[rancke]

Here's an interesting article about evidence that a Modern Human killed a Neanderthal 50,000 years ago.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090722-human-neanderthal-murder.html

So, the question is: at what point in the evolutionary ladder could the Zhodani and Vilani (as well as the other Minor Humaniti) have been at when GrandFather or his children picked them up and transplanted them 300,000 years ago? And were any Neanderthal taken along with them?

In the Traveller Universe, the ancestors of the Vilani, Zhodani, Darrians, and most or all other extant human races were a form of Homo sapiens (Homo sapiens antiquus). Otherwise the Vilani, Zhodani, Darrians, and a number of other minor human races wouldn't be interfertile with Homo sapiens sapiens (the Solomani) 300,000 years later.

Since some of the minor human races are not interfertile with the H. saps, it's possible that the Ancients also picked up one or more different hominid species. However, the lack of interfertility could easily be the result of genetic tinkering by the Ancients or plain divergent evolution over 300,000 years (It's actually stranger that so many human races have remained close enough to each other to still be interfertile).

If anthropologists in the Real World one day manages to prove that Homo sapiens didn't actually exist 300,000 years ago, that will merely be in the Real Universe. They will still have existed 300,000 in the TU.

Unless MM decides to retcon the interfertility of the Darrians, Vilani, Zhodani, etc. with the Solomani, of course.


Hans