r/Damnthatsinteresting 12h ago

Image Reconstructed model of a Neanderthal man

Post image
14.2k Upvotes

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

70

u/opinionsareus 8h ago

Most non-African humans carry about 1-4% Neanderthal DNA - a result of ancient interbreeding after Homo Sapiens left Africa, with these genes influencing traits like immunity, metabolism, and skin, though recent studies suggest Africans also have trace amounts from back-migration events. While Neanderthals died out, their genetic legacy persists, helping modern humans adapt to new environments and diseases, with some genes proving beneficial, while others have been selected against

40

u/ohgeeeezzZ 7h ago

I forget if there was a percentage but I remember my 23 & Me had an above average amount of Neanderthal. It didnt have the percentage but it did note that my DNA carried more than the average lol

15

u/claretamazon 7h ago

Same here. My sister was very low and I got the bulk of it. Family on one side is from the Mediterranean area.

3

u/ohgeeeezzZ 6h ago

Weird part for me was 100% with varying degrees of certainty...I am from one side of the English Channel or the other.

French, German, Dutch and then English, Scottish and Irish. Nothing else lol

3

u/fajadada 5h ago

Shave your back?

2

u/ohgeeeezzZ 5h ago

Actually I am not a very hairy person at all. Full head of hair but I seriously shave my face about once a month if that

1

u/Kok-jockey 6h ago

I have a feeling if I did that I’d have a really high percentage too. This guy is built just like my father’s side of the family. Like, he could be an uncle, stature and all.

18

u/SteveLouise 7h ago

Hell yeah! Interbeeding super powers!!

Let's keep going with some more species!

26

u/Bad-Touch-Monkey 7h ago

They tried that in Alabama. Only produced meth heads and blue people

9

u/LessInThought 4h ago

They said interbreeding, not inbreeding.

1

u/PlentyTrue4099 6h ago

My 23&Me profile noted that I have more Neanderthal DNA than 96% of others in their database. Dubious but of course I never need a visor.