If you are a smoker then you might have a certain amount of Neanderthal DNA in you. Neanderthal DNA can also be related to other traits like hairstyle and nose size. This is according to genetic engineer Sebnem Unluisler.
Neanderthals were fascinating creatures, our closest extinct human relatives. They lived in Eurasia for hundreds of thousands of years, from around 400,000 to 40,000 years ago, facing the challenges of ice ages and adapting to diverse environments.
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There is ongoing debate about whether Neanderthals interbred with modern humans, with recent genetic studies suggesting some mixing occurred. The causes of their extinction are still debated, but factors like competition with modern humans and climate change have been proposed.
As for smoking, Sebnem Unluisler told The Daily Mail, “Studies suggest a link between Neanderthal DNA and nicotine addiction risk. Individuals with Neanderthal ancestry may have a slightly increased likelihood of nicotine dependence.”
And that is not all. Unluisler also said that Neanderthal DNA has been linked to variations in hair characteristics, explaining that, “Some people with Neanderthal ancestry may have slightly thicker or straighter hair.”
“Studies have also shown a higher frequency of a genetic variant associated with red hair was present in Neanderthals,” he explained.
And that is not all. Are you an early riser? Do you have a big nose? These traits can also be traced back to possible Neanderthal ancestors.
A few years ago scientists at Vanderbilt University said Neanderthal DNA contributes to a person’s genetic diversity.
Tony Capra, associate professor of biological sciences said, “When Neanderthals split off from what became the human population 700,000 years ago, they took specific genetic variants along with them. Some of these genetic variants were later lost in human populations.”
But, according to Capra, later interbreeding with Neanderthals “restored hundreds of thousands of previously lost genetic variants. These reintroduced genetic variants are more likely to have positive effects than genetic variants unique to Neanderthals.”
The scientific community has not yet found the reason why Neanderthals became extinct. But the popular theory today is that they were simply overcome by humans. People may have wiped them out and interbred with them. This explains why many people today have Neanderthal DNA.
