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There are several theories on the subject non are conclusive. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Leipzig, Germany, plan to reconstruct the genome of Neanderthals, the archaic human species that occupied Europe from 300,000 years ago until 30,000 years ago until being displaced by modern humans. The genome will initially be reconstructed using DNA extracted from Neanderthal bones that are 45,000 years old, which were found in Croatia, though bones from other sites may be analyzed later. The project is a collaboration between Dr. Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and 454 Life Sciences, a Connecticut company that has developed a new method of sequencing, or decoding, DNA. The sequencing of Neanderthal DNA, long a forlorn hope, suddenly seems possible because of a combination of analytic work on ancient DNA by Dr. Paabo and a new kind of DNA sequencing machine developed by 454 Life Sciences. Because the genome must be kept in constant repair and starts to break up immediately after the death of the cell, the DNA in Neanderthal bones exists in tiny fragments 100 or so units in length. As it happens, this is just the length that works best with the 454 machine, which is also able to decode vast amounts of DNA at low cost. Recovery of the Neanderthal genome, in whole or in part, would be invaluable for reconstructing many events in human prehistory and evolution. It would help address such questions as whether Neanderthals and humans interbred, whether the archaic humans had an articulate form of language, how the Neanderthal brain was constructed, if they had light or dark skins, and the total size of the Neanderthal population. The project is still at an early stage but much groundwork has already been laid. Most Neanderthal bones contain no Neanderthal DNA at all, but almost all are heavily contaminated with the human DNA of the many people who handled the bones. Dr. Paabo has developed stringent methods to address this contamination problem. Even with the DNA that is known to be ancient, some 95 percent of that in Neanderthal bones belongs to ancient bacteria, said Michael Egholm, a vice president of 454 Life Sciences. But these bacterial sequences can be recognized and discarded, Dr. Egholm said. Because Neanderthal DNA is so scarce, Dr. Paabo and the 454 researchers developed their methods on ancient DNA from cave bears and mammoth. Turning to Neanderthal bones, they have already recovered considerable amounts of DNA sequence, which are derived from every chromosome in the Neanderthal cell, as judged by matching the Neanderthal DNA to the human genome sequence that was first fully decoded in 2003. The first goal of the project will be to sequence three billion units of Neanderthal DNA, corresponding to the full length of the Neanderthal genome. This will require decoding 20 times as much DNA, because so much of the DNA in the Neanderthal bones belongs to bacteria. Genomes must usually be decoded several times over to get a complete and accurate sequence, but the first three billion bases of Neanderthal should “hit all the essential differences,” Dr. Egholm said. The researchers’ hope is to recover the entire sequence of the Neanderthal genome, but that will depend on which they can recover enough DNA. From sampling so far, no particular gaps in the sequence are apparent. “We are hitting all the chromosomes and getting good coverage,” Dr. Egholm said. If no single specimen yields a full sequence, the genome might be recovered by combining DNA from several individuals. One of the most important results that researchers are hoping for is to discover, from a three-way comparison between chimp, human and Neanderthal DNA, which genes have made humans human. The chimp and human genomes differ at just 1 percent of the sites on their DNA. At 1 percent, Neanderthals resemble humans at 96 percent of the sites, to judge from the preliminary work, and chimps at 4 percent. Analysis of the DNA at the sites at which humans differ from the two other species will help understand the evolution of specifically human traits “and perhaps even aspects of cognitive function,” Dr. Paabo said. The degree of resemblance between humans and Neanderthals is fiercely debated by archaeologists and even issues such as whether Neanderthals had language have not been resolved. Dr. Paabo believes that genetic analysis is the best hope of doing so. He has paid particular attention to a gene known as FOXP2, which from its mutated forms in people seems to be involved in several advanced aspects of language. The human version of the gene differs at two sites from the chimp version. Knowing whether the sequence of the Neanderthal gene is closer to chimps or humans would help decide whether they had advanced speech like people or some lesser form of communication, perhaps without syntax. “I suspect they had language in some form but perhaps not quite as we do it,” Dr. Paabo said. Asked if he had already had hit the FOXP2 gene in the Neanderthal sequencing done so far, he said “No, that would be just too lucky.” If the Neanderthal genome were fully recovered, it might in principle be possible to bring the species back from extinction by inserting the Neanderthal genome into a human egg and having volunteers bear Neanderthal infants. There would, however, be great technical and ethical barriers to any such venture.

He probably ate the lamp shade and a few crew members...but Ben is still good...the freezaroni's just messed him up.

Ok a miss understanding on my part perhaps, but you asked the question why is it not black or asian we don't fully know if its human yet so i guess its one of those things we will have to wait until june to find out.

Heck they are making another Transformers because they know they will reap a lot of money..plot..pah! You do not need no stinking plot for that kind of movie! lol

@alteredstate...I wasn't trying to play the race card. I really have no idea what the head is for. What is the point behind them? Who knows? Maybe the head is a copy of some poor soul that got taken as a sample. Maybe the head represents a human's ideal genetic expression. Maybe the head shows what the first pplanted human looked like. Maybe the head is a memorial to a scientist or engineer. My question was does it matter that it looks caucasion? And FYI neanderthal man is a not a human ancestor but was a competing species that humans might have breed with.

@bunnypmf...if anyone's challenging either standard..it's probably Hollywood.....and being a former film major, I'll tell you right now...as long as they think'll an idea will make them money, Hollywood producers will greenlight ANYTHING......

There is debris on the top of some of the ampules. I don't believe that right side ampule is open. The camera light reflector is masking it, making the top look darker. Besides, would David walk past an open ampule? Has anybody seen the writing on the ampules? Why would FOX release a still with writing on the ampule? Must be important. Looks somewhat like the 'runes' on the big head. [IMG]http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o612/Nephilim-LV426/Prometheus/Ampules_Writing.png[/IMG]

At this point, the guy above has ceased from being human and killing others. He is now a threat to the ship and to the crew. Though I can imagine someone of the science crew wanting to keep him to watch the effects. Being a threat, the security team as no other alternative, kill one and keep the crew safe but we know with some help from the trailer and the formula of the story, only one, possibly two will survive... The question is what is going to happen and how and there are many variables. With Lindolf doing the script, who worked for secretive director JJ Abrams, so yeah, we are in a for a ride, which is going to be epic in scope and Scott's masterpiece.

Hey @GreatBoosUp...watch it with insulting fellow forum members....especially when [b]YOU[/b] don't exactly have all of the facts or know what you're talking about..... @20thcenturybuick is referring to this shot...... [img]http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzyh62jklS1qchn68o8_1280.png[/img] ...which is, I garauntee you, in one of the three countdown teaser trailers....and it shows a less than human individual scrambling up the side of a vehicle in a very animalistic manner to flee flames from a flamethrower.... Let's be civil and respectful guys....

Clarifications here people....Ridley [b]Did not[/b] say the xeno would be seen near the end. He [b]Did[/b] say that will will see the 'DNA of 'Alien'' in the last eight minutes.....he seems to be referring to the film as a whole rather than the creature specifically; it's apparent this is clear in the context of his statement and the subject to which he is responding.....

They have a security team with them. When you are heading into a place you have never been, it is always good to have some guys that know how to react...being former military thats what I do.

@CantSpaceJockTheRock: The Magellan ref wasn't there when I first read the "synopsis". The poster has the ability to edit their post after they post it. so the OP could've inserted the Magellan ref after I noticed. Now who's failing?

@mcy...Who says the ampule room figure is a monument to man ? If it was then that in itself is wrong because there is a huge amount of evidence for prehistoric man . We have plenty of examples of neanderthal man and its progressive stages of development, so the fact it slightly resembles Caucasian is neither here nor there . I mean are you saying it should be asian or black/african what about aboriginal or even an eskimo its silly to play the race card when we dont understand what it represents yet.

@Biomechanic. It's a good point you make and one that got me thinking. Why would a bunch of scientists and explorers be carrying flamethrowers around for anyway?

@20thcenturybuick where do you see this "zombie rabid" guy scrambling away from the flames? Please stop littering this forum with you mindless drivel.

@Bunnypmf .... I assume you have never seen the conclusion to BATTLE STAR GALACTICA then ? that totally rewrote human understanding of our origin. I dont recall there being any fuss made about it or 2001/2010 for that matter. If you start censoring creativity in a scfi context you disregard some damn good stories and you stifle the creative process.

I doubt there will be a facehugger in Prometheus. Every interview I've read with Ridley Scott states that he's tired of the original Xenomorph and that there will be no Xenomorph in Prometheus. And since the facehugger is the first step in the Xenomorph's life-cycle, this means no facehuggers either. We'll just have to wait until June to find out what will be and what will not be. In the meantime, why not use what little we have and build on that instead of endless wishful thinking?

Spartacus, I think I got the idea of a countdown timer from you.. lol.

Who will weep like a child if there's no progenitor at all?

I could've sworn some viral campaign was going to begin.....though the viral campaign had something to do with some European electronic band or something. I think [url=http://www.avpgalaxy.net/forum/index.php?topic=41875.0]this is the source[/url].

I went back and looked at all pictures of the tops of the ampules and did not see any debris... So I have something very important to ask you guys... what would you say the shape of the jar that David is pulling the "stuff" out of? Or more importantly, how would you describe the shape of that jar compared with the ampules on the ground?

Nice Nephilim reference. [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nephilim]A little more info here on Wiki[/url]. As for the sexual relationships element, supposedly the Nephilim (the giants) were the offspring of the Sons of God & the daughters of men. Of course, that part in the Hebrew scriptures is still full of grey spots, so I can't confirm this. But I will say that Prometheus is going to have a lot of sexual undertones; I heard that we were originally created to be sex-slaves for the Space Jockey, but that's just something someone said.

Ridley did not say at any point in time that the original Alien would be at the end of the film! He has said there will not be a xeno in Prometheus. @20thcenturybuick, where did you get this notion from? Can you point to a quote at a web site where Ridley says this explicitly? I think you're just fantasizing again.

No worries @Biomechanic...no disruption....It may just be seen as standard procedure....fire is an obvious advantage and defensive tool....so that could be it...there may be practical uses as well...you see someone holding what looks like one here and there's the flame that shoots out behind him, that could be someone else testing theirs..... [img]http://www.aliensvspredatorspectrum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_08.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.aliensvspredatorspectrum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10001/normal_09.jpg[/img]

what if sJ, that big thing, is a launcher for eggs,Its(its kinda oval at the tip)designed to start a population on whatever planet , kinda a univeral lifeforce that mimics the inhabitants of were ever its shot off too......????

well at some point you see an infected crew member and they are in pain and their skin is discolored and it looks like somthing is moving under their skin...so perhaps shooting the host body doesnt kill it and they have to burn it

I don't mean that he's imminue to gunfire, just that whatever happens occurs so quickly that they feel they have no other choice but to go big....it may be as simple as this one crew member gets caught with the mutant alone in the loading dock and the only means of protection available right then is the flamethrower...who knows...

Let's not forget this guys.... [img]http://makeagif.com/media/2-18-2012/qFMX8R.gif[/img] I honestly think this our progenitor at a very early, simplistic stage. It's obviously parasitic and while I think we may even see more creatures than this, it's likely, this thing, is a strong and logical plausible candidate for our progenitor....

It's also possible that despite his animalistic aggression, he's still lucid, intelligent and, thus, dangerous enough to warrant such drastic measures as fire....hell, we see someone use a gun at one point already...he may be powerful enough they can conceive of an easier, quicker way....who knows?

I tend to agree with @Biomechanic...it's a very interesting proposition and one that logically explains the caustic/acidic expulsion onto that particular crew member's face...maybe the tops automatically pop when tampered with....perhaps David drilled through the top and the exposure of the contents to air caused an explosive reaction that sprayed the helmet and sent shards flying onto the other ampules who knows, but it's an interesting notion and really nothing to get so hot about either....

Well guys, I hate to burst bubbles, but as much as I love 'Jurassic Park', it wasn't exactly an original idea........Michael Crichton wrote the script for 'Westworld' in the 70's and that's a film about a lavish, unique theme park in which things go entirely awry, off the deep end, etc. and the attractions (robotic humans in this case) begin to attack and kill the park goers...Crichton simply surplanted his robots with dinosaurs in the early 90's, sold the movie writes the second his book was published and there you have it, an awesome if, admittedly, unoriginal film.....

Art is not created in a vacuum.

The book was based on a scientific theory jeez. Fine you don't want to talk about it anymore. I am out.

it was based on a book the movie was a film adaptation of a book...alright if we could keep the post on topic

Jurassic Park was based on scientific theory not a Hollywood idea and it could be said that Giger's grotesque creatures were inspired to some extent from old surrealists like Hieronymus Bosch. I am just saying one can point to similarities in everything.

The 'steam' that Shaw is avoiding comes from the inner door to the Ampule room. Possible explanations I have come up with are; 1, A gaseous reaction between the atmosphere in the Ampule Room and that of that outside. 2, The exhaust of the mechanism that powers the door. 3, The possibility that it is actually steam from an actual geyser. There is evidence for this I think; Shaw is standing just inside the inner 'gigerish' door, beyond that (a few metres) is the outer stone door. A few metres beyond that is the hole in the ground. The hole is in a cavern which connects the Ampule room to the entrance tunnel of the other civilisation. Steam exiting the geyser would hit the ceiling of the cavern and turn to water. The water would drip back and other a long period of time stalagmites would form and rivulets would be carved in the floor of the cavern as the water ran back down the hole. These are both apparent in that picture and there is even water in the rivulets.

not exactly there are people that come up with origional ideas everyday..but yeah when it comes to HOLLYWOOD ideas and themes are "borrowed" all the time...but even in then there are origional ideas that happen...TRUE a lot of things are rip offs or copy cats and not origional at all..but there still are decent original ideas i mean how about getting blood from mosquitos encased in fossilized amber and using super computers with gene sequences to clone dinosaurs? lol seriously take the design of the xeno that giger made up....absolutely an original monster

@burnlab You are so right! It's perfect for that kind of campaign. I loved the "Rocket Poppeteers" site for Super 8 - I was hoping we might get something to play with but Sir Ridley isn't giving away any candy. I suppose we'll just have to wait - damn!

maybe the flame thrower is to sterilize him..maybe the infection spreads and bullets dont kill it