Modern Diseases Have Roots in the Distant Past

An unexpected connection between Neanderthals and a number of diseases and variations that affect modern people was found by Harvard researchers in 2014. According to studies conducted by Harvard Medical School, modern people acquired Neanderthal genetic material through interbreeding and cohabitation.

While it is true that Neanderthals are extinct today, their genetic material is still present in non-African individuals, who typically have an average of 2% Neanderthal genomes in their modern human genomes.

Some of the genetic variations in homo sapiens affect our propensity to develop illnesses like type 2 diabetes, lupus, Crohn's disease, biliary cirrhosis, and even our smoking habits. Beyond illness, it may also contribute to infertility or the features of our skin and hair.

This is not to suggest that every gene passed down from Neanderthals to modern people is inevitably harmful. Due to ongoing research, we currently don't even fully understand the results. Regardless, it is certain that humans carried a portion of this largely misunderstood former human species into the future through interbreeding and the process of adaptive introgression.