Autism is from Neandertal genes!!!

[Odin2005]

http://www.rdos.net/eng

This guy's mix of circular reasoning and getting facts wrong is hilarious.

Edit: The idea itself isn't THAT farfetched, it's his BS "data" and his idiotic conclusions that are hilariously stupid.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. Huh! And all this time I thought it was republicanisim that came from Neanderthals.

[RobertDole]

2. It's not as far-fetched as you'd think

Last edited Sat Mar 24, 2012, 11:49 PM - Edit history (1)

Autism: The Eusocial Hominid Hypothesis

Abstract:

ASDs (autism spectrum disorders) are hypothesized as one of many adaptive human cognitive variations that have been maintained in modern populations via multiple genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Introgression from "archaic" hominids (adapted for less demanding social environments) is conjectured as the source of initial intraspecific heterogeneity because strict inclusive fitness does not adequately model the evolution of distinct, copy-number sensitive phenotypes within a freely reproducing population.

Evidence is given of divergent encephalization and brain organization in the Neanderthal (including a ~1520 cc cranial capacity, larger than that of modern humans) to explain the origin of the autism subgroup characterized by abnormal brain growth.

Autism and immune dysfunction are frequently comorbid. This supports an admixture model in light of the recent discovery that MHC alleles (genes linked to immune function, mate selection, neuronal "pruning," etc.) found in most modern human populations come from "archaic" hominids.

Mitochondrial dysfunction, differential fetal androgen exposure, lung abnormalities, and hypomethylation/CNV due to hybridization are also presented as evidence.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B3dPqM3qgNSiY3p5TmFRMjhSekdyaV8wWUw0MTZiUQ

[Odin2005]

3. That is quite interesting!

I have had similar ideas that human societies are super-organisms comparable to social insect colonies.

[semillama]

4. How does that work with populations that don't have Neanderthal DNA?

Such as modern African populations descended from groups that did not migrate out of Africa?

[SheilaT]

5. My son with Asperger's also

has alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss. He has the most extreme version, universalis, which means he has no hair at all anywhere.

Then again, his brother who is as amazingly social as a human can be also has alopecia areata universalis. So genetics of some kind is definitely at work. I personally think a lot of all of this is simply the roll of the dice.