The researchers found a possible genetic link between Neanderthal DNA and a lower risk of developing a severe case of coronavirus.
A new study, conducted by Hugo Zeberg and Svante Pääbo at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, followed recent research that suggested that Neanderthal DNA was indeed linked to an increased risk of serious illness.
They found that a certain haplogroup, a population that shares common DNA, was about 22% less likely to develop a severe case of COVID-19. Common DNA is believed to have been inherited from Neanderthals.
The haplogroup is common in populations outside Africa, the study notes, as the Neanderthal evolved outside the continent.
The DNA of the Neanderthal that is believed to protect against disease was found on the 12th chromosome, while the DNA discovered in an earlier study that researchers theorized that increased the chances of serious illnesses being found on the third chromosome.
The researchers said the Neanderthals and their Asian brotherly group, the Denisovans, were extinct tens of thousands of years ago, but their genetic impact still lingers today.
“Some of these contributions may reflect adaptations to environments outside Africa, where Neanderthals lived for several hundred thousand years. During that time, they probably adapted to infectious diseases, which are known to be strong selective factors that can, at least in part, they differed between Sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia, “they wrote.
The study suggested that the Neanderthal DNA that protects against serious illnesses may have occurred due to previous epidemics caused by RNA viruses, a category that includes the coronavirus.