Episode #158: Hybridization and Humans

In this final episode of our deep dive into the hybridization and evolution topic, we continue to go through Dr. Eugene McCarthy's material on his website about hybridization and stabilization. After a few final words on the subject of "species", we read about hybridization itself and how common it really is in the wild. We talk about generational hybrids, reciprocal crosses, backcross breeding, extinction and absorption, intermediacy in characteristics, and more.

Near the end of the show we also read some excerpts from the section of the website that discusses the possibility that modern humans are a product of hybridization long ago, and that we all still show the evidence of it in fertility, morphology, and characteristics as well.




Comparison of eyes of Chimpanzee, Human, and Pig