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influencing 47 distinct genetic traits, such as how fast someone can burn calories or a person's natural immune resistance to certain diseases. Annoying that t
by causality0 3y ago
influencing 47 distinct genetic traits, such as how fast someone can burn calories or a person's natural immune resistance to certain diseases.
Annoying that the article doesn't actually tell us what the effects are. Do these Neanderthal genes make it easier or harder to burn calories? Against which diseases do Neanderthal genes give an advantage and against which a disadvantage?
- delecti 3y agoIt links to the actual journal article (which can be read for free). On looking at that, it seems likely the phys.org article doesn't specify because neither does the journal article. It just says that some of the genes are relevant to immune function or lipid metabolism, not what the differences imply for those things. It also mentions other things the identified genes relate to (mostly a nonspecific "development"), again without specifying what tangible differences might result beyond mentioning "developmental disorders".
- nonameiguess 3y agoI watched a docuseries on CuriosityStream last week where they seemed to be discussing this. The researchers in that case said Neanderthal genes were associated with greater tendency toward addiction and depression, possibly autism, and probably helped European Homo sapiens become white faster. The autism thing was particularly fascinating, because they were doing this based on growing miniature incomplete brains in petri dishes using pure sapiens and pure neanderthalensis variants, hooking those brains up to robots, and comparing behavior. I had no idea that was possible to do.