We have known for a long time that we carry Neanderthal DNA. Now we are realizing its implications

That humans (and especially Europeans) carry in our genes a large amount of information bequeathed by our Neanderthal ancestors is no longer a mystery. However, little by little we are discovering what functions these genes fulfill in our organism.

Two new studies have investigated the legacy that Neanderthal genes have left in modern humans. The first focused on the physiognomy of the nose and concluded that the size of this facial feature could be related to these genes in certain populations. The second observed that this genetic inheritance was also related to a fundamental aspect of our health: our immune system.

He most recent studies, was carried out by a team led by researchers from Cornell University. The authors of the paper not only highlighted the fact that Neanderthal genes play an important role in our immune system but also that, as they observed, the most modern genes are slowly displacing them.

The researchers based their work on genetic data from the UK Biobank, from which they obtained genetic information from about 300,000 people. Thanks to this, they identified more than 235,000 genetic variants of possible Neanderthal origin, of which more than 4,300 would be linked to a series of 47 human characteristics such as our metabolism, development, and immune system.

The study details have been published in the magazine eLife,but the authors too have made available to the public the software used in the workjust like pointed out Xinzhu Weico-author of the study.

The remaining study, led on this occasion by researchers from University College London (UCL) and is focused on a specific aspect of the genetics inherited from Neanderthals: the shape of our noses.

This time, the researchers found 26 regions in the genetic code human related facial features. The details of This studio were published in the magazine Communications Biology.

One of the genes inherited from Neanderthals is the so-called ATF3. Until now we linked this gene with the regeneration of nervous tissue. However, the expression of this gene is regulated by another linked to the development of facial features.

They observed that this Neanderthal heritage was not equally widespread in all modern humans, but was more present among Native Americans. This makes researchers think that this feature could have been maintained in America for adaptive reasons. After all, Neanderthal genetic traces are more frequent in humans originating from Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Advances in paleogenetics, the study of the genetics of our ancestors, have applications when it comes to understanding our body and our health. Neanderthal heritage not only plays a role in our facial physiognomy, immune system and our metabolism, it even affects our deliveries.

“Our discoveries may also offer new insights for evolutionary biologists looking at how these kinds of events can have both beneficial and detrimental consequences,” said Sriram Sankararaman, one of the authors of the Cornell paper.

Depending on our origin, the inheritance of Neanderthals in our genome can range between 1 and 4%. Therefore, the importance of understanding the genetic inheritance bequeathed by our closest human cousins ​​is key to understanding our own body. By the way, we can thank these ancestors for many of the traits that make us human and have allowed us to reach our days.

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Image | Pixabay / Werner Ustorf (CC BY-SA 2.0)