Do you carry Neanderthal DNA? The shape of your skull may tell

New research has found that modern humans carrying certain genetic fragments from our closest extinct relatives may have more oblong brains and skulls than other people.

Modern humans possess unique, relatively globular skulls and brains. In contrast, the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, Neanderthals, have the elongated skulls and brains that are typical of most primates.

Previous research had suggested these contrasting skull shapes might reflect differences in the size of various brain regions in modern humans and Neanderthals, and how these brain areas were wired together. "However, brain tissue doesn't fossilize, so the underlying biology has remained elusive," co-lead study author Philipp Gunz, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, told Live Science.

To help solve this mystery, scientists first took CT (computed tomography) scans of seven fossil Neanderthal skulls and 19 modern human skulls. They developed imprints of the interiors of the skulls' braincases and measured their roundness.

Next, the researchers analyzed nearly 4,500 modern humans for whom they had both genetic data and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains.

"We reasoned that if we could identify specific Neanderthal DNA fragments in a large enough sample of living humans, we would be able to test whether any of these fragments push towards a less globular brain shape, allowing us to zoom in on genes that might be important for this trait," senior study author Simon Fisher, a neurogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, told Live Science.

Thanks ETL. I think we've had one about this same study. Anyway, an easier way to find out, a more reliable way, is to have one's own

KEYWORDS: neandertal; neandertals; neanderthal; neanderthals

The Neandertal Enigma
by James Shreeve
in local libraries
"Frayer's own reading of the record reveals a number of overlooked traits that clearly and specifically link the Neandertals to the Cro-Magnons. One such trait is the shape of the opening of the nerve canal in the lower jaw, a spot where dentists often give a pain-blocking injection. In many Neandertal, the upper portion of the opening is covered by a broad bony ridge, a curious feature also carried by a significant number of Cro-Magnons. But none of the alleged 'ancestors of us all' fossils from Africa have it, and it is extremely rare in modern people outside Europe." [pp 126-127]

Huh. Are Neanderthal-type features associated with lower IQs? Big noses, for instance? Seems to me that they’re often associated with higher IQs. Check out the schnozzes (at least on the Caucasians) in cradles of civilization like Italy and Greece or at your nearest university physics department, medical conferences, law firms, etc.

I remember an old TV western from way back in the 1960s in which a good guy (Paladin?)or another shoots a bad guy.

A local Phrenologist declares the dead bad guy as innocent because of his head shape, even though the sheriff comes out with a “Dead or Alive” poster of the dead man.

The Phrenologist later is shot by another bad guy with a “good” brain.

LOL...haven't heard that in 46 years! Bertha...Bertha Butts...on of the Butt Sisters.

Some Neanderthals have all the luck...

“Recent research has also shown Neanderthal tendencies in humans that have larger than normal ears. In addition, ear size can also affect IQ. It appears the larger the ear, the lower the IQ.”

You’ve bin watchin 2 much UFC stuff ? (and noticing those ears)

That was weird. I did put the template in there.

the first few pages of the Neanderthal keyword (edited):

“Why do I think that next year...head measurement will be mandatory”

it’s mandatory only if you admit to owning a firearm ...

Every time I see James Clapper on TV, I think he would make a good dummy torpedo. Now I think he is actually a Neanderthal descendant.

“Do you carry Neanderthal DNA?”

I don’t know but I act like one.

Here’s the article.

https://www.inverse.com/article/33193-nazi-device-artifacts-secret-room

Had wondered about the key, but it was supposedly ornamental.

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