We have inherited some of our Neanderthal traits. The color of the skin or hair is partly determined by this DNA.
Neanderthals mixed with our ancestors nearly 100,000 years ago, and these interactions are still felt today. 2% of our DNA is believed to be of Neanderthal origin today.
But scientists do not yet fully understand how the genetic contribution of Neanderthals manifests itself at the level of our phenotype.
Using a large genetic database in the UK, researchers have obtained new information on the subject. Published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, their study now shows that Neanderthal genes influence a large number of our traits – from skin and hair color to our sleep patterns and tendency. at to smoke.
Biobank project
The researchers analyzed the genetic data of 112,000 individuals, taken from a database known as the Biobank project, in order to identify which of our traits are related at genes known to be of Neanderthal origin.
They found that several alleles of these genes partly determine our skin and hair color. They are associated as well at fair complexions thatat dark complexions. Other genes also seem to have an influence on sleep and our circadian rhythms, as well as on our propensity. at smoke or on our moods.
“We can now show that a person’s skin color and ability to tan are influenced by these Neanderthal genes,” says one of the authors, Janet Kelso of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
All these traits are also linked at our exposure to the sun. “Skin and hair color, circadian rhythms, and moods are all influenced by the amount of sunlight. at which we are exposed to. Our hypothesis is that Neanderthals was exposed at a smaller and more variable amount of sun than the first modern men, and this gave it certain traits, which we still find untilat today in some people, “Kelso concludes.
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