Do Neanderthal genes make you an early riser?
Everyone has an internal clock that controls sleep and wake phases. Early risers may have inherited their trait from special prehistoric humans, as a research team has now discovered.
People who like to get up early and go to bed early may have genes in their genome that originally came from Neanderthals. This has been discovered by a research team led by John Capra, an epidemiologist at the University of California in San Francisco. In this context, experts refer to the so-called circadian rhythm, i.e. the ability of an organism to synchronize all processes to the 24-hour length of the day.
A total of 246 genes associated with the internal clock of humans were examined more closely. In addition, the DNA of Neanderthals was used and compared with the genetic information of modern humans. "When we analyzed the parts of Neanderthal DNA that remained in the genomes of modern humans, we discovered a striking trend," John Capra, an epidemiologist at the University of California in San Francisco, is quoted as saying by The Guardian.
To verify the initial findings, the researchers drew on data from the UK Biobank, which has genetic, health and lifestyle information on half a million people. Since the ancestors of modern humans mated with Neanderthals, it is possible that some people living today carry the Neanderthal variant, argued the scientists, whose findings were published in the journal "Genome Biology and Evolution".
Internal clock and adaptation to daylight
The analysis of the data showed that most people who carried the Neanderthal-derived gene variants can also be counted among the early riser chronotype. For the research team, it is conceivable that these genes were advantageous because they enabled Neanderthals to adapt better to life in high latitudes with seasonally changing day lengths. It is also conceivable that these genes have been passed on to the present day as an evolutionary advantage. However, the researchers do not believe that being a morning person was really an advantage in Neanderthal times. "Rather, we believe that this is a signal that the internal clock runs faster and that people back then were better able to adapt to seasonal fluctuations in light levels," said Capra.
Modern humans carry up to four percent of Neanderthal DNA. This includes genes associated with skin pigmentation, hair and the immune system. The reason: around 70,000 years ago, groups of the direct ancestor of humans, Homo sapiens, migrated from Africa towards Eurasia. There they encountered the Neanderthals, who had already colonized the area hundreds of thousands of years earlier and had adapted to the colder climate accordingly.
Even though the data from the current study provides strong evidence, it does not depend solely on Neanderthal genes whether someone is a morning person or not. A number of other factors, such as environmental and cultural influences, but also other genes are involved in controlling the sleep-wake rhythm of modern humans. For Neanderthals thousands of years ago, however, it was certainly advantageous to start foraging as soon as it was light enough to do so.
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Source: www.ntv.de
