- Neanderthals might have been infected by the same viruses responsible for contemporary colds, cold sores, and certain types of cancer.
- It's possible ancient humans introduced these unfamiliar viruses to their relatives.
- Gaining insights into these ancient viruses could illuminate the disappearance of Neanderthals as well as contemporary illnesses.
Neanderthals might have experienced certain conditions. very familiar diseases 50,000 years ago, potentially leading to their decline.
Researchers studying ancient Neanderthal DNA discovered evidence of three viruses responsible for common colds, cold sores, genital warts, and cancer.
Ancient humans could be responsible for initially disseminating these pests, as suggested by researchers whose findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal "صند Viruses ."
Most Neanderthal experts think the species went extinct due to various causes, from changing climate to low fertility rates to human interactions. Trying to recover from illnesses — especially unfamiliar ones introduced by distant cousins — likely wouldn't have helped.
Poor health from "these types of infections can have a negative impact when you are competing with another species Marcelo Briones, one of the scientists involved in discovering the viruses, communicated this information to Business Insider through an emailed statement.
These ancient viruses not only have the potential to enhance our comprehension of Neanderthals' extinction , but they could provide insights into the contemporary strains that continue to affect people today.
Bones from Siberia containing ancient viruses
Approximately 54,000 years ago, a tiny community Neanderthals inhabited Chagyrskaya Cave in Southern Siberia.
Briones and his team examined the sequenced DNA data of two Neanderthals from the cave—a mature male and a young boy—to search for signs of three viruses they believed may have played a role in the species’ demise: adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus.
The adenovirus can cause Respiratory infections such as colds or influenza can occur, whereas herpesviruses might lead to conditions like cold sores or genital warts, varying based on the specific virus type. Certain types of cancer, including cervical cancer, have been associated with the influence of the papillomavirus.
This isn't the first instance where researchers have discovered inert (no longer infectious) materials. ancient human viruses . A 2021 study documented the finding of adenovirus in ancient human teeth dating back 31,600 years from Siberia.
The adenoviruses, herpesviruses, and papillomaviruses identified in this latest research are approximately 50,000 years old, as stated by the scientists — making them about 20,000 years older than those discovered in the Siberian teeth samples.
That's about when certain specialists estimate Humans and Neanderthals interbred approximately between 60,000 and 50,000 years ago. Besides exchanging genetic material, humans and Neanderthals likely also passed around diseases.
It remains uncertain whether new viruses would have produced identical effects in Neanderthals as they do in people today. Although infections probably triggered an immune reaction, determining the severity of these diseases is challenging, according to Briones.
One 2016 study suggested interbreeding with Neanderthals may have boosted humans' immunity to previously unknown diseases. However, the Neanderthals may have been less lucky.
"Even without being life-threatening, a common cold can reduce hunting effectiveness or reproductive capabilities," Briones explained. Given their already limited numbers, contracting novel diseases may have played a role in the Neanderthals' disappearance. roughly 40,000 years ago.
The challenge of working with ancient DNA
Gaining insights into how these age-old illnesses have evolved over tens of thousands of years might illuminate their impact on contemporary human beings.
Certain viruses remain within your system indefinitely. These can significantly affect human well-being due to their persistent nature as chronic infections, explained Sasha Tabachnikova, a PhD student researching herpesviruses at the Yale School of Medicine. New studies have shown this recently. linked Epstein-Barr — which belongs to the family of herpesviruses — with multiple sclerosis , for example.
Tabachnikova, despite not being part of the study, is enthusiastic about exploring how an ancient virus may have changed from the times of the Neanderthals. However, such investigations are probably still quite distant.
Ancient DNA is tricky To work with, it deteriorates and snaps into pieces. fragments The greater the length of a DNA sequence, the simpler it becomes to recognize.
As Assistant Professor of Genetics at Yale, Diyendo Massilani noted, 'When sequences are too brief, they appear ubiquitously across various genome types,' which may result in misunderstandings within the data.
Sally Wasef, a paleogeneticist from the Queensland University of Technology, points out that viruses possess even more compact DNA sequences compared to humans. This suggests that techniques employed to analyze ancient human DNA may be ineffective when applied to viruses. told New Scientist .
Massilani also had some concerns with how the researchers were interpreting the ancient DNA. "They probably have a good idea," he said, but they need to adjust some of their methods to strengthen their results.
Briones stated that he and his team intend to conduct further studies to validate their discoveries.
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