Scientists have found that early morning risers may have inherited this trait from their Neanderthal ancestors. The research was published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution (GBE).
Modern humans belong to the species homo sapiensBut other human species, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans, existed before. Human ancestors interbred with them, so scientists have suggested that we may have inherited some circadian rhythm genes from Neanderthals. An analysis using genetic data from hundreds of thousands of people from the UK Biobank confirmed that genes associated with early awakening were inherited from Neanderthals to humans.
Increased morning activity in humans is associated with a shortened perception of the day. As seen in flies, shortening the circadian period allows flies to more quickly coordinate their sleep and wakefulness rhythm with external conditions, such as increasing daylight hours. Therefore, scientists believe that the tendency to wake up early may have been beneficial to human ancestors living in the high latitudes of Europe, as it allowed them to quickly adapt to the increased light during the summer months.
Scientists plan to apply the approach they developed to analyze other human characteristics. Previous studies have shown that genes transferred from ancient human species to modern humans are associated with Tibetans’ ability to live at high altitudes, people’s resistance to infections, skin pigmentation levels and body fat percentage.
Previous scientists I learnedHe said that Vikings who suffered from tooth decay had their teeth filed down.