Breakthrough Discovery: Neanderthal Ancestry Mystery Finally Solved!
Scientists may have unraveled the enigma of Neanderthal ancestry: while most people possess a small fraction of Neanderthal DNA, specific populations exhibit slightly higher proportions in their genomes, shedding light on the dilution of this ancient genetic heritage
Get the latest updates on the Neanderthal DNA carried by human populations in Europe and Asia through a new analysis of ancient genomes. This research not only deepens scientists' understanding but also reveals potential medical relevance in present times.
The researchers, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday, have discovered a more precise genetic record of our archaic relatives, Homo sapiens, thanks to a substantial amount of invaluable data. As a result of prehistoric sexual encounters between our ancestors and Neanderthals, who became extinct around 40,000 years ago, most people alive today can trace a minor portion of their DNA back to them.
Neanderthal DNA is found in slightly higher quantities in the genomes of East Asian populations, which has puzzled scientists for a long time. This is because Neanderthal remains have been discovered extensively in Europe and the Middle East, but not beyond the Altai Mountains in Central Asia.
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Study coauthor Mathias Currat, a senior lecturer of genetics and evolution at the University of Geneva, expressed confusion over the fact that despite never discovering any Neanderthal remains in a specific area, there is an abundance of Neanderthal DNA present. Currat stated that, on average, Neanderthal DNA constitutes approximately 2% of the genetic composition of individuals in Eurasia, but in East Asia, this proportion can be as high as 4%.
Currat and his colleagues from the University of Geneva have provided an explanation for this inconsistency. They conducted an analysis of the distribution of Neanderthal DNA inherited by humans over the past 40,000 years. By doing so, they found that the distribution of Neanderthal DNA has changed over time, revealing a different pattern than what is observed today.
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The research team analyzed data from a vast database containing over 4,000 ancient genomes collected by Dr. David Reich and his team at Harvard Medical School. These genomes span regions in Europe and Asia.
The researchers discovered that the genomes of Stone Age Homo sapiens living as hunter-gatherers in Europe after the extinction of the Neanderthals contained a slightly higher amount of Neanderthal DNA compared to those living in Asia over 20,000 years ago. Therefore, the study team concluded that the higher proportion of Neanderthal ancestry in Asian populations, in comparison to those in Europe, must have developed later on, most likely during the Neolithic transition when agriculture started to replace hunting and gathering as the primary way of life approximately 10,000 to 5,000 years ago.
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During this period, the initial agriculturalists originating from Anatolia in present-day western Turkey and the Aegean region started intermingling with the indigenous hunter-gatherer communities in Western and Northern Europe. As a consequence, a decline in the proportion of Neanderthal DNA became evident in European genomes. Currat explained that the reason behind this was the reduced level of Neanderthal ancestry, which essentially diluted it within European populations.
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According to him, the process of this transition in Asia is not as clear due to the limited amount of information available. The study involved 1,517 samples from Europe, compared to only 1,108 from Asia, which is more than four times larger.
Tony Capra, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute at the University of California, San Francisco, commented that the paper exemplifies an exciting and promising approach of analyzing ancient human DNA from different geographic regions alongside modern genomes in order to understand the evolution over time and space. Capra was not directly involved in the research.
Genetic remnants from interactions with Neanderthals may have significant implications for the health of present-day humans. A study conducted in September 2020 suggests that Neanderthal DNA could potentially influence the progression of Covid-19 infection, albeit to a limited extent.
