The Influence of Neanderthal Genes on Modern Human Traits
Scientists have long known that Neanderthal genes make up between 1 and 4% of the genomes of modern humans whose ancestors migrated out of Africa. However, the question of how much these genes actively influence human traits has remained open until recently. A research team from several institutions, including Cornell University, has used computational genetic tools to address the genetic effects of interbreeding between humans of non-African descent and Neanderthals approximately 50,000 years ago. The study showed that some Neanderthal genes are responsible for certain traits in modern humans, including several that have a significant impact on the immune system. However, overall, the study found that modern human genes are winning out over time.
The Study: Genes and Traits
The researchers analysed more than 235,000 genetic variants that likely originated from Neanderthals using a vast dataset from the UK Biobank containing genetic and trait information from almost 300,000 Britons of non-African descent. They found that 4,303 of the DNA differences played important roles in modern humans, influencing 47 different genetic traits. For example, some Neanderthal genes affect how quickly an individual can burn calories, while others impact natural immune resistance to certain diseases. Unlike previous studies that could not exclude modern human variant genes entirely, this study used precise statistical methods to focus solely on variants attributable to Neanderthal genes.
Insights for Scientists
While the study used a dataset of mostly white people living in the UK, the computational methods developed by the team could provide a way for scientists to extract evolutionary information from other large databases and explore the genetics of archaic humans in modern humans further. Moreover, this study may fill in some of the blank spaces for scientists studying human evolution interested in understanding how interbreeding with archaic humans tens of thousands of years ago still shapes the biology of many present-day humans.
Engaging Article: Evolutionary Impact of Neanderthal Genes
The recent discovery that Neanderthal genes influence certain traits in modern humans has sparked a debate among scientists about the evolutionary impact of these genes. While this study has shown that some Neanderthal genetic variations still influence modern humans, it has also demonstrated that modern human genes are winning out over time. However, the fact that Neanderthal genes still shape our biology raises questions about the possible benefits and drawbacks of interbreeding with archaic humans tens of thousands of years ago.
There are several possible explanations for why some Neanderthal genes continue to affect modern human traits. One theory is that these genes provided a survival advantage in certain environments, such as colder climates. Another theory is that these genes allowed for better immune resistance against specific diseases, which may have been prevalent in ancient populations but disappeared over time.
More research is needed to understand the precise biological mechanisms through which Neanderthal genes affect specific traits in modern humans. However, this study provides a significant step forward in our understanding of human evolution and how genetic variations can shape our biology over time.
Interestingly, the new computational methods developed by the research team could offer a way forward for drawing evolutionary information from other large databases to delve deeper into the genetics of archaic humans in modern humans. By using these methods, scientists may be able to uncover new insights into the benefits and drawbacks of interbreeding with other hominids in our evolutionary history.
In conclusion, this study has shown that Neanderthal genes still play a role in shaping modern human biology. While it is unclear whether this influence will grow or diminish over time, this research provides a crucial insight into the complex processes of human evolution. With further research, scientists may be able to shed more light on the evolutionary impact of interbreeding with other hominids and how it has shaped our species over time.
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Recent scientific discoveries have shown that Neanderthal genes comprise between 1 and 4% of the genome of modern humans whose ancestors migrated out of Africa, but the question remained open as to how much those genes still actively influence human traits, until now.
A research team from several institutions, including Cornell University, has developed a new set of computational genetic tools to address the genetic effects of interbreeding between humans of non-African descent and Neanderthals that took place around 50,000 years ago. (The study applies only to the descendants of those who emigrated from Africa before the Neanderthals went extinct, and in particular to those of European descent.)
In a study published in eLife, the researchers reported that some Neanderthal genes are responsible for certain traits in modern humans, including several with a significant influence on the immune system. Overall, though, the study shows that modern human genes are winning out over succeeding generations.
“Interestingly, we found that several of the identified genes involved in the immune, metabolic, and developmental systems of modern humans could have influenced human evolution after ancestral migration out of Africa,” said study co-author April ( Xinzhu) Wei, an assistant professor of computational biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “We have made our custom software available for free download and use by anyone interested in further research.”
Using a vast dataset from the UK Biobank consisting of genetic and trait information from almost 300,000 Britons of non-African descent, the researchers analyzed more than 235,000 genetic variants that likely originated from Neanderthals. They found that 4,303 of those DNA differences play important roles in modern humans, influencing 47 different genetic traits, such as how quickly someone can burn calories or a person’s natural immune resistance to certain diseases.
Unlike previous studies that could not completely exclude modern human variant genes, the new study took advantage of more precise statistical methods to focus on variants attributable to Neanderthal genes.
While the study used a data set of almost exclusively white people living in the UK, the new computational methods developed by the team could offer a way forward for drawing evolutionary information from other large databases to delve deeper into the influences. genetics of archaic humans in modern humans. .
“For scientists studying human evolution interested in understanding how interbreeding with archaic humans tens of thousands of years ago still shapes the biology of many present-day humans, this study may fill in some of those blank spaces,” he said. Principal investigator Sriram Sankararaman, associate professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “More generally, our findings may also provide new insights for evolutionary biologists looking at how echoes from these types of events can have both beneficial and detrimental consequences.”
The study’s other co-senior author is Christopher Robles, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA. Other authors include UCLA doctoral student Ali Pazokitoroudi; Andrea Ganna of Massachusetts General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Alexander Gusev and Arun Durvasula of Harvard Medical School; USC’s Steven Gazal; Po-Ru Loh of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; and David Reich of Harvard University.
The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, with additional funding from an Alfred P Sloan Research Grant and a grant from the Okawa Foundation. Other authors received financial support from the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, the John Templeton Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and the Next Generation Fund at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230608195656.htm
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