Neanderthal-human trysts may be linked to modern depression, heart disease

Fox News ^ | 2/12/2016 | Charles Q. Choi

[sparklite2]

Ancient trysts between Neanderthals and modern humans may have influenced modern risks for depression, heart attacks, nicotine addiction, obesity and other health problems, researchers said.

Some of the scientists' discoveries confirm previous ideas. For example, earlier research suggested that Neanderthal DNA influenced skin cells known as keratinocytes that help protect the skin from environmental damage such as ultraviolet radiation and germs.

The new findings suggest that Neanderthal genetic variants increase the risk of developing sun-triggered skin lesions known as keratoses, which are caused by abnormal keratinocytes.

[AndyJackson]

“tryst”

Well we saw what happened to Trump when he used a vulgarity. "They" pilloried him for it. So, nope. No vulgarities. Tryst it must be.

[AndyJackson]

New keyboard please.

[AndyJackson]

you can split the bill with disndat.

[gleeaikin]

As previously reported to some, I think that my Scots/Viking husband with a little Cree Indian had more than the suggested 1 to 4% Neanderthal. He was a 3 pack a day smoker when I told him I could not marry him if he didn’t quit. But it was 5 days to write a long paper using a no smoking library that did the job. After 2 days, stopping every 15 minutes to go out for a smoke he had written 1/10th of the paper, so he quit cold turkey. After several muggings, his Korean War PTSD asserted itself and he became an alcoholic. It was hard to tell if he was depressed because of the alcohol, but he never missed a day of work and never had a hangover. He was a blue eyed, pink skinned, red head and developed squamous cell carcinoma on his frequently sunburned hands. His son suffers from winter depression, but taking 1,000 to 2,000 units of Vitamin D in the winter has helped that. I got us into health foods and vitamins and he stopped drinking about 15 years before he died of Alzheimers. I have a theory about Alzheimers. There are tales about how elderly Indians sacrificed themselves in winter starving times by going off into the woods to die so more food would be left for their grandchildren. My husband developed a strong wandering tendency about a year before he became physically weakened/dependent. He would get really restless when he was hungry. I would have to bring him into the kitchen and give him little snacks as I rushed to get food on the table. Several times he escaped and I had to rush out to find him. Once I had to send the police to search. It would make sense that a gene that caused wandering when people were very hungry would have survival value for the younger family who had more food when grandpa went off to pee and wandered farther off to search for food and froze to death.

[SunkenCiv]

Sounds like you’re onto something.

[BroJoeK]

"Listen, Hillary. This party needs new blood."
"Forget it, Sanders. We're the end of the line."

LOL!
Post of the day, for sure.

[BroJoeK]

DBrow: "I recall not too long ago the general consensus was that modern humans had no Neandertal DNA, now they say as much as 40% got transferred."

The difference is, in the past 10+ years, Neanderthal DNA has been extracted, analyzed & compared to our own.
The major findings were:

1. Neanderthals & humans shared circa 99.5% identical DNA moving Neanderthals from a separate species to a sub-species of homo-sapiens, capable of interbreeding.

2. Neanderthal alleles in non-African human DNA suggest past interbreeding, around 50,000 years ago, contributing from 1% to 4% of our DNA.

3. Your figure of 40% of Neanderthal DNA in modern humans seems to me a bit misleading, since 99.5% of our DNAs were identical to begin with.
   So what we're really talking about is that of the one-half-of-one percent different DNA, perhaps up to 40% can still be found, scattered amongst some humans, somewhere.

Bottom line: much of the numbers you arrive at depends on what exactly, and how, you measure, but the overall average of 2% Neanderthal DNA in non-African humans seems to me a fair estimate.
Your 40% refers to the fact that not everybody is the same 2% Neanderthal.

So, some of us, especially (but not only) us males, may be more Neanderthalic than others. ;-)

Some typical Neanderthals, ancient & modern:

Oooooooops!

[BroJoeK]

chb: "By definition, if the Neanderthals were able to breed with 'humans' and produce fertile young, then they were human."

Exactly, it's an important point to remember.

[Sirius Lee]

It was supposed to be the Olsen Triplets, but the latter's career never really took off for some reason.

[BroJoeK]

;-)

[DBrow]

Very informative and funny!

[Joe 6-pack]

"Many dinosaurs suffered from depression."

It's natural when all your friends start dying off.

[ladyjane]

May... could... might... This is modern “Science”.

All science is may...could...probably...might. The expression 'settled science' is an oxymoron despite what our politicians would like us to think.

[cloudmountain]

Besides, the Celts WERE originally European, from central Europe, I believe. Yes. My family always claimed we originated in the Rhine valley. However that may be because many of us married PA Dutch, Quakers, and Amish.
I have also heard the Celts never stopped moving west, even past the US and to Australia. And FWIW, not much, Pictures of my family show smaller, wirey types while pictures of mrs p6’s family are, let’s say, of ...ummm...stockier folk.
Oh, there are also stories from my family of Pictish branches as well as being horse thieves in Kelton Parish, UK.

===================================

With DNA there are no more guesses. I had my DNA done a while back--VERY expensive.
I am 92% Western European and 8% East Asian.
I asked my mother: Huh? Turns out it was from my mother's side. We laughed. Who knows who did what, when and where.

[cloudmountain]

H-1B visa. The US H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields such as in architecture, engineering, mathematics, science, and medicine.

===================================

To me that means cheap labor. Bush WAS a business POTUS. Obama is not.

[cloudmountain]

I am female.
I NEVER date men who have more hair than I do, wear more jewelry than I do and have bigger boobs than I do.

Now that I am older the field of dating material has shrunken. What's left are widowers. I don't want to bury another husband so I will stay single.

[cloudmountain]

As previously reported to some, I think that my Scots/Viking husband with a little Cree Indian had more than the suggested 1 to 4% Neanderthal. He was a 3 pack a day smoker when I told him I could not marry him if he didn’t quit.
I married a smoker. He quit but it was too late. I would never marry a smoker again

But it was 5 days to write a long paper using a no smoking library that did the job. After 2 days, stopping every 15 minutes to go out for a smoke he had written 1/10th of the paper, so he quit cold turkey.
This must have been when you two were in college.

After several muggings, his Korean War PTSD asserted itself and he became an alcoholic. It was hard to tell if he was depressed because of the alcohol, but he never missed a day of work and never had a hangover. He was a blue eyed, pink skinned, red head and developed squamous cell carcinoma on his frequently sunburned hands.
I'm not sure that one necessarily followed the other, but it's sad indeed.

His son suffers from winter depression, but taking 1,000 to 2,000 units of Vitamin D in the winter has helped that. I got us into health foods and vitamins and he stopped drinking about 15 years before he died of Alzheimers. I have a theory about Alzheimers. There are tales about how elderly Indians sacrificed themselves in winter starving times by going off into the woods to die so more food would be left for their grandchildren. My husband developed a strong wandering tendency about a year before he became physically weakened/dependent. He would get really restless when he was hungry. I would have to bring him into the kitchen and give him little snacks as I rushed to get food on the table. Several times he escaped and I had to rush out to find him. Once I had to send the police to search. It would make sense that a gene that caused wandering when people were very hungry would have survival value for the younger family who had more food when grandpa went off to pee and wandered farther off to search for food and froze to death.
There are almost a hundred kinds of dementia...and they are all genetic EXCEPT Alzheimer's. It is self-inflicted in that the sufferers have "given up" on life. It's the SADDEST thing of all.

[SunkenCiv]

[singing] {because your tryst} your tryst is on your wrist...

[sparklite2]

Thanks.

[blam]

"I blame in on the bossa nova.

Well....it's all about The Hokey Pokey.