Humans are `pig-chimp hybrids`, claims researcher

London: A leading geneticist has claimed that human beings are the result of a cross breed between a pig and a chimp.

Eugene McCarthy of the University of Georgia argued that while humans share many features with chimps we also have a large number of characteristics not found in primates and these conflicting features are most likely the result of a hybrid mating at some point in human evolution.

McCarthy suggested the original pig-chimp hook up was followed by several generations of "backcrossing", where the pig-chimp offspring played and assimilated among chimps before mating with them.

By doing this every generation became less and less "pig" and more and more chimp -like.