To claim that "we are Neanderthals" is wrong because while modern humans and Neanderthals share a common ancestor and interbred, Neanderthals were a distinct species that went extinct. Genetic contributions from Neanderthals to modern humans are minor, typically around 1-2% in non-African populations, and do not make us Neanderthal in any meaningful sense. Moreover, the idea that specific Neanderthal genes explain large behavioral differences among human populations is not supported by scientific consensus—human behavior is shaped by a complex mix of genetics, culture, and environment. While some Neanderthal-derived genes may have influenced traits like immune response or altitude adaptation, the assertion that they drive major behavioral differences is speculative and echoes outdated, often racially charged ideas about genetic determinism. Biologists do discuss these topics openly, but they do so within the rigorous framework of evolutionary genetics, not unfounded assumptions about "large portions of variances" in human behavior.

I'm a biologist, I wouldn't be caught saying it in private or public because it's incorrect.

Lots of good discussion here about should Neanderthal and Homo sapiens be a separate species. Like most nature questions the answer seems to always be "It's complicated."

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/mq5u7n/why...

A neat map here showing how much Neanderthal DNA exists in modern humans. Never goes much above 3%.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/hgdioe/prevalence_...

Genetic differences do exist among different human populations. Even so, attributing broad behavioral traits to Neanderthal ancestry is not supported by science.

Human behavior is shaped by many factors like genetics, culture, environment, and social structures. No credible geneticist argues that Neanderthal ancestry “explains large portions of variances in human behavior.”

As for your comment that “Biologists know this, you won’t catch them saying it in public though.”, this is a classic conspiracy-style statement. You’re suggesting that experts are hiding the “truth,” which is a tactic often used in pseudoscience and race-related theories.

> Clearly, certain populations have much different mixtures, which explains large portions of variances in human behavior.

Citation needed.

Geneticists can, at best, sometimes figure out what any particular gene does, and yet here you are claiming that you can tie broad behavior differences to traces of the Neanderthal genetic code (Weird, since geneticists can at best, barely correlate the smallest differences in behaviour to particular genes). That's an extraordinary claim, and would require some truly extraordinary evidence.

Behavioral genetics does not have the predictive power that you think it does.

Couching scientific racism behind the fig leaf of 'Behavioural geneticists all know this but refuse to talk about it', fortunately, requires absolutely no actual evidence. In fact, the absence of evidence for it is viewed as evidence for it!