SHOP PRODUCTS
Houzz Logo Print
alisande_gw

Some of us (many, actually) carry Neanderthal genes

alisande
10 years ago

Not all of us have Neanderthal genes, but many of us do--especially those of us descended from people who lived in Europe thousands of years ago. This article from National Geographic explains that Neanderthals were encountered by those who left Africa 60,000 years ago. Apparently some mating took place in those caves. :-)

The article describes Neanderthals as a type of human, but other research I've read differentiates them from humans. This surprised me, as I always thought Neanderthals were simply a stage in human development. Clearly, I need a few more courses in human biology, ancient history, and genetics.

I do think the Neanderthal genome project is fascinating, though. I've read that some of their genes promote a strong immune system. And even those that carry a risk of Type II diabetes came in handy those thousands of years ago, when food could be scarce.

Here's another interesting link:

Here is a link that might be useful: Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes

Comments (25)