Researchers have discovered a possible genetic link between Neanderthal DNA and a lower risk of developing a severe case of coronavirus.
A new study, conducted by Hugo Zeberg and Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, followed up on recent research that suggested that Neanderthal DNA was actually associated with an increased risk of disease. serious.
They found that a given haplogroup, a population that shares common DNA, was approximately 22% less likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19. Common DNA is believed to have been inherited from Neanderthals.
The haplogroup is common in populations outside Africa, the study notes, as Neanderthals evolved outside the continent.
Neanderthal DNA believed to protect against disease was found on chromosome 12, while DNA discovered in a previous study theorized theorized increased the chances of serious illness on the third chromosome.
Researchers said Neanderthals and their Asian sister group, the Denisovans, became extinct tens of thousands of years ago, but their genetic impact still lingers today.
“Some of these contributions may reflect adaptations to environments outside Africa where Neanderthals lived for several hundred thousand years. During this time, they are likely to adapt to infectious diseases, which are known to be strong factors. selective measures that may, at least in part, have differed between sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia, “they wrote.
The study suggested that Neanderthal DNA that protects against serious disease may have occurred due to previous outbreaks caused by RNA viruses, a category that includes coronavirus.