Neanderthals

• Recent scientific research has revealed that traits inherited from Neanderthals and Denisovans, another extinct hominin species, continue to influence our health, biology, and even our response to diseases like Covid-19.
• Recent studies have linked Neanderthal DNA to various human traits and diseases. For instance, researchers have found connections between Neanderthal genes and a serious hand disease, the shape of people’s noses, and even our immune response to pathogens.
• The amount of Neanderthal or Denisovan DNA present in modern humans varies depending on geographical location and ancestral lineage.
  • While some African populations have almost no Neanderthal DNA, those from European or Asian backgrounds carry about 1% to 2%.
  • Denisovan DNA is barely detectable in most parts of the world but makes up 4% to 6% of the DNA of people in Melanesia, extending from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands.
• These genetic remnants can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on our health.
  • For example, Neanderthal DNA has been linked to autoimmune diseases like Graves’ disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • On the other hand, interbreeding with Neanderthals and Denisovans likely bolstered our ancestors’ immune systems, providing a quick fix to diseases prevalent in Europe and Asia.

ABOUT NEANDERTHALS (HOMO NEANDERTHALENSIS)

• Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative.
• They lived throughout Europe and parts of Asia from about 400,000 until about 40,000 years ago.
• Physical features include long, low skull with a characteristic prominent brow ridge above their eyes, relatively short and stocky bodies.
• They co-existed with modern humans for long periods of time before eventually becoming extinct.

ABOUT DENISOVANS

• Denisovans are also an extinct species of hominid and were close relatives of Neanderthals.
• They lived lakhs of years ago, coexisting with Neanderthals in some regions, and interbreeding with early modern humans in some cases.
• The Denisovans are a much more recent addition to the human family tree.
• They were first identified as a separate species in 2010, following the discovery of a fragment of a finger bone and two teeth, dating back to about 40,000 years ago, in the Denisovan Cave in Siberia.
• Denisovan fossils are so rare because their population was smaller than that of Neanderthals.