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Study The Neanderthal man is in our skin and psyche
Sleep and smoke like a Neanderthal man
Genes of the Neanderthal man influence the color of our skin and hair even today, as well as various aspects such as the mood, the tendency to smoke and the awake sleep rhythm, the scientists said.
About 2%our DNA comes from Neanderthals and affects our skin-
and hair follicles.
(Nicolasprimola / fotolia.com)
Adaptation to Eurasia
The cause of these tendencies could be the adaptation of Neanderthals to the solar radiation of Eurasia. Compared to Homo Sapiens with its strong bones, Neanderthal man is considered to be a human form adjusted to a cold climate.
In modern humans, the genes were carried on
Janet Kelso of the German Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Research says: "We speculate that the identification of Neanderthal genes in our study indicates that exposure to the sun formed this part of the DNA, and that these genes were carried on in modern humans shape these aspects until today. "
Two percent Neanderthals
An estimated 2% of our DNA among non-Africans comes from Neanderthals who gave birth to our ancestors.
Study to 112,000 people
The scientists studied the genetic information of 112,000 people in the British Biobank pilot study and found evidence that Neanderthal DNA influenced the appearance of human skin and hair.
Connection 100,000 years ago
Kelso says that modern humans from Africa met Neanderthals in Eurasia about 100,000 years ago.
Neanderthals were there before
Sunlight in the region, where both types of humans met, has probably influenced evolution in the evolution of how Neanderthals developed specific physical adaptations to the sun's UV rays, she explains.
Research is at the beginning
Kelso's team plans to systematically explore the influence of Neanderthals on modern humans.
Significantly earlier mixing
The Max Planck Institute had already demonstrated in 2016 that Neanderthals and modern humans were genetically mixed 100,000 years ago. Scientist Sergi Castellano said: "Since deciphering the Neanderthal genome, we know that the genome of non-Africans living today contains Neanderthal DNA, and that Neanderthals and modern humans have mingled. (...) Now we have found human genome in the Neanderthal genome, possibly as a result of a much earlier mixing. "
How did the researchers proceed??
Martin Kuhlwilm from the Institute explains the method: "Because non-Africans living today have Neanderthal tracks in the genome, their data was not suitable for our study. Instead, we used the genomes of people living in Africa today to identify those mutations that most of them have in common. Some of these mutations occur in the Neanderthal genome from the Altai Mountains heaped in the same regions, suggesting a mixture. "
Neanderthal genes in the immune system
As early as 2016, researchers said: Neanderthal genes reinforce our immune system.
Mixing 40,000 years ago
Already in 2015, scientists studied a 37,000 to 42,000-year-old lower jaw of a modern man from Romania and found in him up to nine percent Neanderthal DNA. They concluded that he had a Neanderthal ancestor in his family tree four to six generations earlier.
Not a primitive person
For a long time, the Neanderthal was considered a primitive preform of man. Today we know that he was physically different from modern humans, but not "dumber". He developed culture as well as medicine and religion.
(Dr. Utz Anhalt)