"Until you’ve had ‘thal, you haven’t had it at all"
Sex with Neanderthals May Explain Modern Allergies.
You may have to pump yourself full of Zyrtec just to step outside during allergy season because your ancestors couldn’t keep their hands off those sexy Neanderthals, suggests two new studies in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Neanderthals and a second now-extinct hominid—Denisovans—were living in Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years before humans arrived and were likely well-adapted to the local pathogens, according to a press release. When humans showed up and started interbreeding, they took on some of the Neanderthal and Denisovan genes. One of the studies reports three genes having to do with ‘innate immunity’ in modern humans show more similarities to Neanderthal and Denisovan genomes than the rest.
Innate immunity is the body's first response to pathogens and other foreign substances, NPR reports. The three genes from Neanderthals and Denisovans "are key components of innate immunity and provide an important first line of immune defense against bacteria, fungi, and parasites," according to the second study. But there's a "trade-off," as researcher Janet Kelso puts it. "I suppose that some of us can blame Neanderthals for our susceptibility to common allergies, like hay fever," she tells NPR. That's because these genes that helped ancient humans ward off disease in a new world can cause the body to overreact to minor foreign substances, such as pollen, according to the press release.
Via
Instapundit
3 comments:
Ok, Neanderthals genes are mostly in European and Semitic populations. Denisovans mostly in East Asians, Polynesians and American Indians. Black Africans have neither.
So why were American Indians and Polynesians susceptible to disease when Europeans showed up? How come black Africans don't seem to be particular more susceptible to disease than whites or asians (and in fact in the equator regions were more resistant to diseases white were not)
I am curious what the explanation for all of this is.
Can we admit we really do not know the full impact of most genes? This is at best untested speculation and theory than actual scientific proof. Sometimes I get the feeling these so called scientist (and journalists who report on science) just throw stuff out their to pawn people.
I must say I am proud of my Auroch lineage!
Just a few years ago the CW was there was no interbreeding between Cro Mags and Neanderthals. Suddenly DNA research (apparently) shows banging occurred and now everything is laid at the doorstep of Neanderthal. I had a professor back in law school who was convinced that Northern European anglos were (negatively, of course) affected by Neanderthal genetics, long-armed, heavy-browed, hairy, prone to war etc. etc. Huge pissnik, of course. Deeply unhappy person.
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