A team of scientists from Aarhus University, deCODE Genetics, and the Max Planck Society looked for fragments of Neanderthal DNA in the genomes of more than 27,000 Icelanders. When they combined all the fragments they reconstructed at least 38 percent of a Neanderthal genome!
They then compared this new Icelandic Neanderthal DNA with other Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes, and found that the Neanderthal DNA in modern Icelanders is more similar to Neanderthal DNA found in Croatians than to Neanderthal DNA found in Russians. Icelanders were also found to carry traces of Denisovan DNA. Thismay have been transferred to modern humans via Neanderthals, whose ancestors mixed with Denisovans, then homo sapiens.
Examining the mutations in the Neanderthal DNA specifically, the researchers concluded that in general, Neanderthal children had older mothers and younger fathers than the modern humans. The researchers found that overall, Neanderthal DNA contributes to a slightly reduced risk of prostate cancer, slightly shorter height, and slightly faster blood clotting time for today’s Icelanders.
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