There’s much to recommend in Carl Zimmer’s profile of David Reich in Discovery Magazine. Not least of which are details on our favorite extinct human cousins, Neanderthals.
Neanderthals are the rock stars of the piece. Zimmer also gives them their due, as well as a good primer on human evolution, and ancient migration out of Africa. He also explains what all that ancient DNA might mean for modern humans.
There are few things as fascinating to the folks here at 23andMe. At the forefront is the idea that the DNA of Neanderthals – who vanished about 30,000 years ago – lives on in us. And it bolsters the theory that Neanderthals and humans interbred between 37,000 and 86,000 years ago. This was about the time when modern humans began to migrate from Africa to Europe.
23andMe’s popular Neanderthal feature was developed by scientists Eric Durand and Mike Macpherson. It can tell you how much Neanderthal DNA you have.
In Zimmer’s piece Reich suggests that there may also be DNA from other extinct human subspecies in our genes, such as Denisova, another of our early human cousins. The remnants of that ancient DNA — which pieces, how much of it, and who carries it today — contain insights not just about human evolution and migration, but about health and traits in modern humans.
If you haven’t already, check out Zimmer’s story or read more about what we’ve written about Neanderthals and humans:
– More Fun with Neanderthals
– Find Your Inner Neanderthal
– New Evidence Suggests Humans and Neanderthal Interbreeding
Got Neanderthal DNA?
23andMe customers can find their inner Neanderthal or at least how much Neanderthal DNA they have. Not yet a customer? Visit our store!
