NEW YORK (AP) – A new study says a person’s risk of becoming depressed or hooked on smoking may be influenced by DNA inherited from Neanderthals.
Researchers found evidence that one bit of Neanderthal DNA can boost the risk of tobacco addiction, while others can slightly raise or lower the risk of being diagnosed with depression.
It’s the latest in a series of studies of the Neanderthal genetic heritage in modern people. Past studies have suggested it raises risk of allergies, for example.
Neanderthals and modern people split off from each other on the evolutionary tree hundreds of thousands of years ago. But ancestors of modern people interbred with Neanderthals about 50,000 years ago after leaving Africa. So in people of Asian or European ancestry, around 2 percent of DNA can be traced to Neanderthals.
Studying that DNA might help give insights into the biological roots of some diseases, said Tony Capra, an evolutionary geneticist at Vanderbilt University. He is senior author of the study, which was released Thursday by the journal Science.