'More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors

'More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors | 10 unexpected ways Neanderthal DNA affects our health | The mystery of the disappearing Neanderthal Y chromosome Created for {EMAIL} | [Web Version]( May 20, 2024 CONNECT WITH LIVESCIENCE  [Facebook]( [X](  [LIVESCIENCE]( Amazing science every day [SIGN UP]( ⋅ [WEBSITE](  [] Top Science News [] ['More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors]( (Kevin McGivern for Live Science) ['More Neanderthal than human': How your health may depend on DNA from our long-lost ancestors]( The group had traveled for thousands of miles, crossing Africa and the Middle East until finally reaching the dimly lit forests of the new continent. They were long-vanished members of our modern human tribe, and among the first Homo sapiens to enter Europe. There, these people would likely have encountered their distant cousins: Neanderthals. These small bands of modern-human relatives had hooded brows, large heads and squat bodies, and they had spent epochs acclimating to Europe's colder climate. At several points across millennia, these two forms of humanity would meet, mingle and mate. Tens of thousands of years later, these ancient encounters have left traces in the genetic code of billions of humans alive today. The lingering genes affect us in ways large and small, from our appearance to our risk of disease. "In some places in our genome, we're more Neanderthal than we are human," Joshua Akey, a professor of integrative genomics at Princeton University, told Live Science. These were our closest human relatives, and [this is their legacy](. [Read More]( [] - [10 unexpected ways Neanderthal DNA affects our health]( [] - [The mystery of the disappearing Neanderthal Y chromosome]( [] - [What's the difference between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens?]( [] History & Archaeology [] [1,000 years ago, Baltic pagans imported horses from Scandinavia to behead them or bury them alive]( (Mirosław Kuzma) [1,000 years ago, Baltic pagans imported horses from Scandinavia to behead them or bury them alive]( Baltic pagans imported horses to be sacrificed from their Christian neighbors around 1,000 years ago. [Read More]( [] Planet Earth [] [Bizarre evolutionary roots of Africa's iconic upside-down baobab trees revealed]( (Getty Images / Mint Images RF) [Bizarre evolutionary roots of Africa's iconic upside-down baobab trees revealed]( The baobab tree evolved on the island of Madagascar before eventually spreading to Africa and Australia, new research suggests. [Read More]( [] Astronomy & Astrophysics [] [Black hole singularities defy physics. New research could finally do away with them.]( (NASA/JPL-Caltech) [Black hole singularities defy physics. New research could finally do away with them.]( New research presents a bold solution to this puzzle of black hole singularities: Black holes may actually be a theoretical type of star called a 'gravastar,' filled with universe-expanding dark energy. [Read More]( [] Health [] [Newfound autoimmune syndrome tied to COVID-19 can trigger deadly lung scarring]( (CHRISTOPH BURGSTEDT/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images) [Newfound autoimmune syndrome tied to COVID-19 can trigger deadly lung scarring]( A surge in cases of a rare autoimmune disease during COVID-19 waves in England led to the discovery of a new syndrome. [Read More]( [] Technology [] [Bizarre device uses 'blind quantum computing' to let you access quantum computers from home]( (imaginima via Getty Images) [Bizarre device uses 'blind quantum computing' to let you access quantum computers from home]( Quantum computers historically required massive amounts of space, but a new system will allow home users to access quantum computers via the cloud. [Read More]( [] Daily Quiz [] Can a commercial airplane do a barrel roll? (Learn the answer [here]() [Vote]( [No, the airplane body is too large]( [Vote]( [No, the wingspan doesn't allow it]( [Vote]( [Technically yes, but it's too risky to try]( [Vote]( [Yes, and people have been known to do it](   [Sign Up]( | [Update Profile]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Cookies Policy]( | [Terms and Conditions]( CONTACT US: [FEEDBACK](mailto:livescience@smartbrief.com) | [ADVERTISE]( [Future]( Future US LLC © Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036