Researchers from the University of Geneva analyzed more than 4,000 ancient genomes from individuals across Europe and Asia and uncovered a striking pattern in Neanderthal DNA among early Homo sapiens. The study found that contemporary Asian populations harbor about 4 percent Neanderthal genetic material, whereas their European counterparts carry around 2 percent. The researchers presented these findings through Science Developments, highlighting how regional history and migration shaped our genetic landscape over tens of thousands of years.
The well established fact remains that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens interbred at a time when both species shared the Eurasian continent. What surprised many scientists was the regional distribution of Neanderthal ancestry. For tens of thousands of years, the European lineage received a larger share of Neanderthal DNA, in line with the Neanderthals having thrived in Europe. Over time, however, the dynamics shifted. The population expansions and local extinctions that occurred during and after the last ice age reduced Neanderthal presence in Europe, limiting opportunities for continued interbreeding and leading to a dilution of Neanderthal signals in some descendant populations.
In contrast, East Asia followed a different genetic trajectory. Populations moving into East Asia around 10,000 years ago carried substantial Neanderthal DNA from earlier encounters, and the subsequent generations did not experience the same dilution events seen in Europe. This allowed East Asian groups to retain a higher level of Neanderthal ancestry. Scientists also consider the possibility that additional, previously unknown Neanderthal groups in other regions contributed to the genetic mix, potentially increasing the Neanderthal footprint in certain East Asian populations. These findings underscore how ancient migrations, local extinctions, and multiple interbreeding events left a lasting imprint on the human genome across different parts of Eurasia.
Beyond the major pattern of Neanderthal DNA presence, researchers point to the broader implications for understanding human evolution. The proportion of Neanderthal ancestry influences various traits and susceptibilities, and the regional differences observed today reflect a mosaic built from historic encounters, population movements, and adaptive pressures over millennia. The ongoing work aims to map these complex interactions with greater precision, shedding light on how ancient gene flow shaped modern diversity and how future discoveries might reveal even more about our ancestral connections. This evolving picture comes from a long lineage of paleogenomic research and continues to be refined as new genomes are recovered and analyzed, gradually painting a more complete portrait of human history. The insights reinforce the idea that human ancestry is not a single trajectory but a web of interwoven lineages that crossed once and repeatedly over vast stretches of time and space, leaving traces that still influence us today. (Source: Science Developments)