I recently watched
Neanderthal Code on the National Geographic Channel. Towards the end of the show they proposed that the neanderthals did not go extinct. Instead, neanderthals interbred with modern humans and were assimilated into the modern human population.
I just don't see how this could be given the genetic evidence that has thus far come to light. First, it appears that no human living today (or very, very few) carry mitochondrial DNA from neanderthals. The same can be said for the Y-chromosome. You would think that if interbreeding was common that either the maternal or paternal lineages would be seen in modern populations, especially in European populations where interbreeding would have been the most common.
Admittedly, these conclusions are being drawn from incomplete information. Just last month scientists announced that the neanderthal genome has been completely sequenced. They are hoping to release the results of the neanderthal-human comparison later this year.
Link
What I am wondering is this. Given the lack of neanderthal mitochondrial DNA and Y-chromosome lineages in modern populations, should we expect to see other neanderthal genes in modern populations? What do you guys predict will be found in the neanderthal genome?