Neanderthals had outsize effect on human biology (opens in new tab)

(nature.com)

51 pointsrms10y ago23 comments

23 comments

16 comments · 3 top-level

Interestingly, if you use 23andMe's genetic analysis service, it'll tell you how much Neanderthal DNA you have. The average European has 2.7% (I have 3.2%).

pavel_lishin10y ago

Do they allow you to test your DNA anonymously? I have no interest in having a company linking my DNA analysis to my identity.

DanBC10y ago

They don't want you to test another person's DNA without that person's permission.

1 more reply

SEJeff10y ago

No, but for roughly $1k USD, you can have many big hospitals sequence your DNA for you.

a8da6b0c91d10y ago

Has there been any sort of serious audit or quality review of the 23andMe service? I'm dimly curious but would at present guess it's mostly a load of nonsense, and who even knows how replicable their results are.

will_work4tears10y ago

I'm not entirely sure, I mean, from my level of understanding it could all be relatively faked data and I wouldn't know any different. They claim they do quality review[0] and you can compare them to some of the competition[1], and they don't offer anything except genealogy records and your results in a big file you can download. You can use that information to parse on other sites for medical things (there's quite a few sites that take the data file as an upload, actually). I'd be interested in reading a more comprehensive audit though.

[0] - https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202904760...

[1] - http://www.isogg.org/wiki/Autosomal_DNA_testing_comparison_c...

blacksmith_tb10y ago

You can download your raw data, and/or run it through Promethease: https://www.promethease.com/

(I will admit to not having compared more than a handful of SNPs with what 23andMe has to say about them, and I suppose they could have tampered with the data, but that seems like a lot of effort for the one-time payment they got from me...)

empiricus10y ago· 6 in thread

In the article only the negative effects of Neanderthal genes are discussed. Is this because genetic datasets are mostly about gene/diseases correlations, or is it because the researchers did not analyze any gene/benefits datasets? The third option (all Neanderthal genes are bad) does not seem reasonable.

quot6655510y ago

If there were notable positive effects, it would likely be danced around, because saying positive things about the groups with Neanderthal admixture is a touchy subject.

riffraff10y ago

could you expand on that? I have never heard of anything like it.

2 more replies

allengeorge10y ago

The article lists a number of positive effects from "archaic genes". Two include: genes that improve the speed of one's immune response, and genes (present in Tibetans) that allows them to live at high altitudes. It's just that the effects aren't always completely positive or negative and, some of the Neanderthal/Denisovian genes have effects that "might be maladaptive today".

hollerith10y ago

>In the article only the negative effects of Neanderthal genes are discussed.

Actually, that is not true: "It revealed links between Neanderthal DNA and depression, obesity and certain skin disorders, with some variants being associated with an increased risk and others with a reduced risk" (emphasis mine).

sanxiyn10y ago

From the article: "Using de-identified genome data and medical records from 28,000 hospital patients"

I don't know whether there are good gene/benefits datasets, but they used gene/diseases datasets.

digitalzombie10y ago

They also went to say these "maladvantage" were advantage back in the days but because of today lifestyle they've becomes a hinder.

So... they were positive effect but now have become a relic of the past and a burden.

edit:

Quote:

“Many traits that were adaptive 10,000 years ago might be maladaptive today” because of lifestyle, diet and other shifts, notes Rasmus Nielsen, a population geneticist at the University of California, Berkeley.

JoeAltmaier10y ago· 1 in thread

I like the idea that Neanderthal genes helped Homo Sapiens spread, through increased resistance to diseases unique to Europe. Explains why their gene contribution is so prevalent - it directly contributed to survival in the new environment.

johnchristopher10y ago

Maybe so but the article only mention diseases both genres suffered from and that are DNA related (asthma, skin disorders, etc.) with almost identical links to genes.

I'd venture to guess HS would have spread with or without Neanderthal genes.

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