Functional implications of Neandertal introgression in modern humans
Functional implications of Neandertal introgression in modern humans
Admixture between early modern humans and Neandertals approximately 50,000–60,000 years ago has resulted in 1.5–4% Neandertal ancestry in the genomes of present-day non-Africans. Evidence is accumulating that some of these archaic alleles are advantageous for modern humans, while others are deleterious; however, the major mechanism by which these archaic alleles act has not been fully explored.