I can't believe that this is so old!
We're actually going over this in my Human Origins class, and I found the articles that you posted helpful and interesting- and your title was just perfect for me to have found it.
I can't say that I side with the RAO hypothesis completely- but as always, its hard to be sure of the fossil record.
We do know that neandertals were only found in Europe and that most fossils are dated around the same time- and none have been found on the African continent as of yet, although they have been close.
Did AMH come only from Africa and then take over or appear elsewhere? We know we're separate species, but did we recognize each other as mates? Which could explain why some Europeans have neandertal DNA.
So much isn't clear, but the fossil record is like looking through a keyhole into a room, we only get a small glimpse of what might of been.
