Thousands of humans may still be walking the Earth with Neanderthal DNA — and not only that, but traces of the ancient stuff may be influencing skin tone, hair color, and even sleeping patterns in present-day Europeans, a study released Thursday from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology found.
Using the genetic information of over 100,000 people in the U.K. Biobank, scientists discovered that Neanderthal genes, which make up 1 to 3 percent of the genetic code of people with European descent, may still have a small effect on some physical traits. No trait can be isolated to a particular gene; multiple genetic factors affect skin tone, for example, and Neanderthal genetic material only plays one part in determining the tone. But breakthroughs in researching Neanderthal DNA may help scientists understand how some genetic traits function.
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