The phenotypic legacy of admixture between modern humans and Neandertals
The legacy of human-Neandertal interbreeding
Non-African humans are estimated to have inherited on average 1.5 to 4% of their genomes from Neandertals. However, how this genetic legacy affects human traits is unknown. Simonti et al. combined genotyping data with electronic health records. Individual Neandertal alleles were correlated with clinically relevant phenotypes in individuals of European descent. These archaic genetic variants were associated with medical conditions affecting the skin, the blood, and the risk of depression.
Science, this issue p. 737
Abstract
Many modern human genomes retain DNA inherited from interbreeding with archaic hominins, such as Neandertals, yet the influence of this admixture on human traits is largely unknown. We analyzed the contribution of common Neandertal variants to over 1000 electronic health record (EHR)–derived phenotypes in ~28,000 adults of European ancestry. We discovered and replicated associations of Neandertal alleles with neurological, psychiatric, immunological, and dermatological phenotypes. Neandertal alleles together explained a significant fraction of the variation in risk for depression and skin lesions resulting from sun exposure (actinic keratosis), and individual Neandertal alleles were significantly associated with specific human phenotypes, including hypercoagulation and tobacco use. Our results establish that archaic admixture influences disease risk in modern humans, provide hypotheses about the effects of hundreds of Neandertal haplotypes, and demonstrate the utility of EHR data in evolutionary analyses.
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Supplementary Material
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Materials and Methods
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Science
Volume 351 • Issue 6274 • 12 February 2016
Pages: 737 - 741
History
Received: 10 August 2015
Accepted: 8 January 2016
Copyright
Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
RE: The phenotypic legacy of admixture between modern humans and Neandertals
If this ends up as an elitist way to classify / stratify society I hold you all personally responsible for the ensuing bloodbath. Let every injury be on your collective heads.
Now that these clowns have gotten wind of it:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/study-neanderthal-dna-may-influence-modern-dep...
I can clearly see the hate groups frothing at the mouth.
If you are one part neanderthal.... you're a neanderthal. Where have I heard that before?
Thanks just oodles and bunches,
[email protected]