There are some genetic data suggesting that, after a long period of separation, humans and Neandertals began interbreeding.

Isn't this the plot of "Clan of the Cavebear" aka Ayla and Jondalar's giant woman-maker?

I think that there should be cheetahs, meteors AND Wooley Mammoths.

Let's just say a level, dry dirt field

No implements or tools of any kind? I'm assuming the caveman is wearing skins, and hoping the astronaut is not in a spacesuit. If he is, I think the playing ground got heavily un-neutralled.

We also have to consider that the astronaut will be going "Caveman? What the fuck? Okay, bring it." whereas the caveman will be thinking "Oogh? Argh? Oh!" in a pretty confused tone. Is he fighting to save his life? Or fighting for dinner?

No implements or tools of any kind?

A folding chair?

Is he fighting to save his life? Or fighting for dinner?

Maybe for the honor of his people. Or mabye he saw the astronaut hitting on his girlfriend..

I thought it had been determined that this didn't happen. Unless they just recently decided it did happen, and I missed it....

The idea has resurfaced as we learn more about Neadertal DNA. Normally, you can estimate the time back to a common ancestor pretty well based on differences in DNA. But when you use the standard techniques on humans and Neandertals, you get two time estimates rather than one. Later interbreeding is one explanation. Contamination of the Neadertal DNA with the DNA of modern human labworkers, fieldworkers, etc is another. Mutual interbreeding with a third group is another. A bad theory about how DNA differences occur over time is another. But it has given new life to an old idea.

is this the new salad shooter and I missed something?

I just delivered a project to a client that has taken WEEKS to get correct. There were errors on top of errors on top of techical failures before, but finally, it is done.

Now moving on to Q/Aing our last 5 projects, because it seems no one did and there are a million small mistakes that the CEO keeps finding.

Maybe we drop them on a level dirt field in a time-free zone, and have translators tell each combatant that to get back to their time/family/freshly-killed aurochs, they need to kill the opponent.

Salad shooters were a nonchalance ploy. We don't have the provocation for that right now. What we do have is a hunger for knowledge and a thirst for trivia.

there are a million small mistakes that the CEO keeps finding.

Shouldn't everything be bright and shiny clean before the CEO sees it? I'm managing a project for whom I'll also be a user, as will my boss. I'm insisting on QAing before she gets her hands on it, since I'm a less scary person to hear about bugs from. It's amazing how much resistance this protection ploy is meeting from the very people who'll get their asses held to the fire by management if it's not shiny. And it's been quite not shiny the times I've gotten my hands on it so far.

Maybe we drop them on a level dirt field in a time-free zone, and have translators tell each combatant that to get back to their time/family/freshly-killed aurochs, they need to kill the opponent.

Works for me. I pick astronaut.

Maybe we drop them on a level dirt field in a time-free zone, and have translators tell each combatant that to get back to their time/family/freshly-killed aurochs, they need to kill the opponent.

With the appropriate Star Trek music playing over loudspeakers.

I read it in your quote-back this morning, and heard, "Physician, heal thyself." Words to live by, or caffeine deficit?

Nah - just a chapter or footnote in the book, see. Or, yeah, maybe just a good couple of cups of coffee...

I have no input on caveman vs. astronaut. Or salad shooters.