NEW YORK — Humans and Neanderthals occasionally interbred tens of thousands of years ago, but new research suggests these encounters were more often between human females and Neanderthal males.
A genetic study published Thursday in Science analyzed Neanderthal and human DNA to uncover patterns of interbreeding. The findings indicate a preference for male Neanderthals mating with female modern humans, rather than the reverse, according to Alexander Platt, a geneticist at the University of Pennsylvania.
The evidence comes from examining the X chromosome, one of the sex chromosomes in humans, which contains far less Neanderthal DNA than other chromosomes. By comparing the human genome to Neanderthal DNA, researchers found a mirror pattern: more human DNA on Neanderthal X chromosomes than expected.
“This mirror image pattern is likely a result of mating behavior,” Platt explained. Because genetic females inherit two X chromosomes and males inherit one X and one Y, the inheritance patterns support the idea that more human females mated with Neanderthal males over time.
Population genetics expert Xinjun Zhang of the University of Michigan noted that the study cannot definitively explain how these pairings occurred. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get a definitive answer to how this happened, since we can’t travel back in time,” Zhang said.
The study highlights how human culture, social behavior, and interaction patterns likely shaped the genetic legacy of these encounters, rather than natural selection alone.
Joshua Akey, an evolutionary genomics researcher at Princeton University, praised the work, saying it fills “missing pieces to the puzzle” of human-Neanderthal interbreeding.
Neanderthal DNA still persists in most modern humans outside sub-Saharan Africa, influencing susceptibility to some diseases and immunity to others, making the study a key insight into the ancient interactions that shaped human evolution.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
