The researchers found a possible genetic link between Neanderthal DNA and a lower risk of developing a severe coronavirus case.
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 is actually linked to a higher risk of severe disease.
They found that a particular 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 Neanderthals evolved from the continent.
Neanderthal DNA believed to protect against disease was found on the 12th chromosome, while DNA found in a previous study theorized increased the chances of severe disease was found on the third chromosome.
Researchers say that Neanderthals and their group of Denisovian Asian sisters disappeared tens of thousands of years ago, but their genetic impact persists today.
“Some of these contributions may reflect adaptations to environments outside Africa where Neanderthals have lived for several hundred thousand years. , they differed between sub-Saharan Africa and Eurasia, “they wrote.
The study suggested that Neanderthal DNA that protects against severe disease may have occurred due to previous outbreaks that were caused by RNA viruses, a category that includes coronavirus.