Skip to main content
COUSINS

Neanderthal DNA Found in Humans

To blame for bad hair days.

cheats/2014/01/29/neanderthal-dna-found-in-humans/140129-gemone-neanderthal-cheat_xhr1rb

Eric Cabanis/AFP/Getty,ERIC CABANIS

Here comes the sequel to Encino Man: two studies published Wednesday in Science and Nature suggest that DNA from our extinct Neanderthal ancestors survives in several regions of the world. As much as 4 percent of their DNA is found in people living today, mostly in genes that make keratin, found in skin, hair, and nails. One Neanderthal gene is found in 70 percent of Europeans and another in 66 percent of East Asians.

Read it at National Geographic

TRENDING NOW