Posted on 11/03/2023 2:55:21 AM PDT by dennisw
A gene from Denisovans makes people predisposed to mental health issues The gene was passed down to humans about 60,000 years ago in Asia
Humans having sex with a now-extinct subspecies they met in Asia some 60,000 years ago could be the reason you have depression, a new study has claimed.
Researchers discovered a gene variant linked to the crossbreeding of humans and Denisovans which they believe affects our mood.
Those with the variant have lower levels of zinc in the body - a nutrient which studies increasingly show is associated with mood and happiness.
Scientists said SLC30A9 is the most widespread Denisovan gene discovered to date - starting in Asia and has spread to European and Native American populations.
Only recently with the advances in genomic sequencing has it been possible for scientists to trace modern human's DNA back to our ancient ancestors.
The different branches of the human family tree have interbred and swapped genes — a processes known as 'introgression' — on numerous occasions.
Elena Bosch, IBE principal investigator and co-leader of the study, and her team identified an adaptive variant among current human populations in a region of our genome that bears remarkable similarity to the genome of an extinct ancestral population: the Denisovans.
'We discovered that this mutation surely had implications for the transport of zinc within the cell,' said Bosch.
Researchers did look into Neanderthal heritage but found the population was absent of the mutation.
Rubén Vicente, MELIS-UPF principal investigator, then joined the team to analyze intracellular zinc's movement.
'Elena contacted me because her team had observed a change in an amino acid in a zinc transporter, which was very different between the populations of Africa and Asia today, Vicente said.
'From there, we started asking ourselves questions and looking for answers.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Woof! Gonna need a beer keg for that one.
Asians and Caucasians both have Neanderthal DNA-Blacks do not. Asians have Denisovan genes-so do Caucasians from Eurasia. There hasn’t been any Denisovan DNA found in Blacks-apparently, the people in Africa did not travel/trade much in prehistoric times. I seriously doubt that the inability to utilize Zinc can be blamed on the DNA of of our ancestors-more likely it is just a genetic quirk in individuals-like sensitivity to drugs, food allergies, etc. Individuals with depression respond very well to psychotherapy-and I don’t think it is a genetic condition in any case-it makes far more sense to believe it is situational, due to unpleasant life experiences, but that is just my opinion...
I was recently doing research on cancer. One recent study of nine common cancers determined that all the cancer tissues were deficient in zinc, even when surrounding normal tissue was adequate or abundant with zinc. It would be interesting to look at variations in the common versus low zinc genes and the prevalence of various kinds of cancer in different people and tribes, related to the zinc usage genes. Maybe produce a test like that for breast cancer gene(s) showing who should make a point of consuming more zinc in diet or supplements to prevent cancer.
Thank you for another rich list of information to learn more about our complex early history.
Ugha uhga!
Good teeth; sharp eyes; strong muscles: me take to secret cave, make many fine babies!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.