We’ve all got a bit of Neanderthal in us. This precursor to modern man who roamed the earth tens of thousands of years ago bequeathed to us part of his genetic code. Some of us inherited a portion of DNA that holds important implications when it comes to the novel coronavirus.
A European study indicates that a cluster of genes associated with more severe cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are part of a grouping of genetic material nearly identical to what is found in Neanderthal man.
This gene grouping, known as a haplotype, [HAP-lo-tape] is found in about 16% of Europe’s population and about half the population of South Asia. It’s absent in East Asia and Africa. While no breakdown of the U.S. population is provided, this haplotype would certainly be present in some people of European or South Asian descent.
Residents of Bangladesh are among the people most likely to carry this ancient DNA. Up to 63% of the Bangladesh population carry these genes. And studies out of the United Kingdom indicate those of Bangladeshi descent are two times more likely to succumb to COVID-19.
Neanderthals are close kin to modern man. In fact, scientists believe Neanderthals and homo sapiens, whose existence in the evolutionary timeline overlapped, interbred during their histories.
The study, published in the journal Nature, notes that the genetic region examined is likely to have been passed down from Neanderthals who lived in southern Europe about 50,000 years ago.
Why these genes lead to worse outcomes isn’t clear and will require more study.
But it’s clear that Neanderthals are still making their presence known long after their extinction some 40,000 years ago.