Neanderthals seemed to have a thing for modern human women
12 hours ago
- #Human Evolution
- #Neanderthals
- #Genetics
- Modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, leaving Neanderthal DNA in modern human genomes and vice versa.
- Different people inherit different fragments of Neanderthal DNA, with some regions, like the X chromosome, showing no Neanderthal DNA ('Neanderthal deserts').
- Research indicates a bias in Neanderthal X chromosomes toward modern human sequences, suggesting selective mating preferences, particularly Neanderthal males favoring modern human females.
- Genetic incompatibility between modern humans and Neanderthals could arise from separate evolutionary paths, leading to disruptive gene interactions when mixed.
- Some Neanderthal genes introduced into modern humans may have been selected against due to negative impacts on fitness, while others were lost randomly.