In 2010, Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo developed a method to sequence and analyze ancient DNA from Neanderthal bones. By mapping the entire Neanderthal genome and comparing it to the genetic records of living humans, he came to conclusive evidence that confirmed widespread anthropological speculation: most humans carry small traces of Neanderthal DNA in our genetics.
Evidence of prehistoric sexual encounters between Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals initiated a deep anthropological and biological dive into far-reaching questions about genetic dispositions toward various health problems.
More recently, these findings led a group of scientists to reassess risk factors for behavioral disorders, addiction, and disabilities of the human brain, such as neurological or psychiatric illnesses.
A study found that Neanderthal DNA likely contributes to human behavior patterns around smoking, alcohol consumption and sleep.
An international team of scientists, led by researchers from Estonia’s University of Tartu, analyzed Neanderthal DNA associations, tracing a wide range of human habits and psychological patterns. They also examined more than 100 variants of brain disorders from the UK Biobank, a repository of biological samples used for research. The aim was to reduce the specific contribution of Neanderthal DNA to features of human behavior.
“Our results suggest that Neanderthals carried multiple variants that substantially increase the risk of smoking in people today,” Michael Dannerman, associate professor of evolutionary genomics at the University of Tartu and lead author of the study, said in a news release.
Stefan Gold, a professor of neuropsychiatry and co-director of the study, added that Neanderthal DNA’s significant associations with alcohol and smoking habits could “help us unravel the evolutionary origin of reward-seeking and addictive behavior.”
“It is important to note that sleep problems, alcohol and nicotine use have been consistently identified as common risk factors for a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders,” Gold said in the news release. “On the other hand, there are some intriguing findings from anthropology that have suggested some social benefits of increased tolerance to these substances in hunter-gatherers.”
Although definitive causation will require further analysis of ancient DNA sequencing and its association with modern humans, researchers like Dannerman believe that certain genetic trends can be attributed to environmental factors that caused evolutionary adjustments. He explained that the different sleep patterns, for example, could be attributed to Neanderthals who migrated out of Africa, an environment that is defined by different levels of seasonality and exposure to ultraviolet light, which differs from the environments in which humans evolved. modern. just one example of how anthropological factors can be reflected in the behaviors of modern people.
This echo may have resonated with the emergence of COVID-19.
back in 2020, researchers in Germany identified a strand of DNA that has been associated with more severe cases of certain variants of COVID-19. They compared it to sequences linked to Neanderthal ancestors and determined that genes inherited from this ancestry may have caused a more severe reaction when contracting the disease.
Through further examination, scientists hope new findings will emerge about how Neanderthal DNA may affect human immunology and genetic dispositions.
As Dannerman said in the press release, “These results provide exciting candidates for further functional testing and will potentially help us in the future to better understand the specific biology of Neanderthals.”