Researchers from Fudan University have identified a Neanderthal-derived gene that may influence the shape of noses in contemporary Indian populations. The findings appear in the journal Communication Biology, underscoring how ancient genetic introgression could shape modern human features in specific populations.
The team examined genotyping data from more than 6,000 individuals across five Latin American nations. These participants represented diverse ancestral backgrounds, combining European, Indigenous American, and African lineages. The scientists aimed to understand whether facial traits correlate with particular genetic variants across admixed groups, providing insight into how evolution and migration patterns have sculpted facial diversity.
A notable discovery is a single DNA variant, ATF3, which has been linked to increased nose height, defined as a greater distance from the nasal bridge to the nasal tip. The variant is more common among Native American populations, suggesting that the genetic signal may have conferred a historical advantage, perhaps aiding early human populations in adapting to colder climates as they migrated away from Africa. This aligns with broader theories about how sensory or structural traits could influence survivability in different environments over thousands of years.
Earlier in the same research trajectory, investigators observed that a gene implicated in shaping lip form in Homo sapiens appears to have been inherited from Denisovan ancestors, highlighting the complex web of interbreeding among ancient human groups and the lasting imprint of those interactions on present-day morphology.