The genetic test of an American provides an unusual insight into the past: the man is apparently genetically closer to the Neanderthals than most.
New York City – In the USA are genetic tests for Researching one’s own origins is extremely popularAn American wanted to find out more about his family roots through such a test, but made an unusual discovery: he has more Neanderthal DNA than 99 percent of the other people tested.
From prehistoric times to an American: Neanderthal DNA as an extraordinary legacy?
Homo sapiens and Neanderthals both belong to the genus Homo, but evolved independently of each other. Homo erectus is considered their common ancestor. Research work suggest that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals lived partly at the same time and even reproduced. This is also indicated by the genetic test of the American Dennis “DWayne” Deel, who recently received the result that his Neanderthal DNA percentage is higher than that of 99 percent of the other customers of the genetic test provider.
Deel turned to Newsweekto tell his story and emphasized that he saw his “Neanderthalheritage as a badge of honor.” When he tells people that he is “part Neanderthal, they think I’m a bit strange,” the American continues. Deel now hopes that his discovery will arouse enough interest “so that I can get to know my Neanderthal relatives,” as he says. Neanderthals, however, died out around 40,000 years ago – so Deel and his close relatives definitely belong to the Homo sapiens.
In the footsteps of the past: How the home DNA test works
Various companies offer genetic tests for home use. Customers send in either saliva or a mouth swab. The DNA is then analyzed. This analysis covers about 600,000 places in the DNA code where differences often occur, such as the magazine the renowned US university Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The company “23andMe”, which also examined Deel’s sample, explains on its website that it is checking over 2000 genetic variants for Neanderthal origins. Despite the results, which at first glance seem exciting, Neanderthal DNA is apparently not that unusual: “Most modern humans have traces of Neanderthal DNA,” the company informs on its website.
Medlinethe information portal of the US National Institute of Health, estimates that Neanderthal DNA is either absent or present only in very small quantities in people of African descent, while in People with European or Asian background about one to two percent of Neanderthal DNA can be detected. According to Cesar de la Fuente of the University of Pennsylvania, a “significant” proportion of Neanderthal DNA in a modern human could indicate “significant interbreeding” between Neanderthals and early modern humans in that person’s ancestry, as he told Newsweek commented.
Similarities instead of differences: 99.9 percent of human DNA is identical
However, the reliability of home genetic tests is controversial. A journalist from Healthista had her DNA analyzed by three different companies and received three different results. “The problem with such tests is that you cannot determine which genetic markers the companies are actually testing; you cannot carry out any quality control,” explained Ortrud Steinlein, Director of the Institute of Human Genetics at Ludwig Maximilian University Munichthe South German Newspaper.
One fundamental fact about modern humans remains – even without genetic testing: we are more similar in many ways than it seems at first glance. In fact, we share 99.9 percent of our DNA. The latest scientific Studies even suggest that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have had more in common than previously thought. The researchers found that the results “suggest comparable cognitive abilities in both anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals.” Other studies had also already shown that Neanderthals were apparently not as stupid and slow on the uptake as originally thought (bme).
#USAmerican #Neanderthal #DNA #genetic #test #significant #crossbreeding