The interesting piece on potential sequencing of the Neanderthal genome and subsequent recreation of a specimen poses complex and worrisome ethical questions. ("Should AI be used to resurrect extinct species like the Neanderthal?" Dec. 26.)
The author mentions swapping out "parts of human DNA with Neanderthal DNA." It may be a semantic point, but while Neanderthals clearly differed genetically from modern humans, research indicates that in every singular aspect, they were also human themselves. They used language, created art and tools, likely had a complex social organization that included burial rituals, religious beliefs, and evident intellectual capacity that was essentially human.
There is still some contention, but they are now generally known as Homo Neanderthalensis in recognition of their fundamentally human character.
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Since their discovery in the 19th century, their image has progressed from lumbering cretins to very close cousins with whom we moderns lived and bred for thousands of years. Fabricating a new one from fossils may be ill-advised science fiction, but if there is no need to invite them into our modern parlor, we should also recognize that they already got there long ago.
Christian Saller
St. Louis
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