They also found that this gene region had signs of natural selection, suggesting that it conferred an advantage for those carrying the genetic material.

In one genome region in particular, called ATF3, the researchers found that many people in their study with Native American ancestry, as well as others with east Asian ancestry from another cohort, had genetic material in this gene that was inherited from the Neanderthals, contributing to increased nasal height. The researchers newly identified 33 genome regions associated with face shape, 26 of which they were able to replicate in comparisons with data from other ethnicities using participants in east Asia, Europe, or Africa. The study used data from more than 6,000 volunteers across Latin America, of mixed European, Native American and African ancestry, who are part of the UCL-led CANDELA study, which recruited from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru. The scientists from UCL have published their international study in the journal Communications Biology.Ĭomparing genetic information from the participants to photographs of their faces, specifically looking at distances between points on their faces, such as the tip of the nose or the edge of the lips, the researchers saw how different facial traits were associated with the presence of different genetic markers. In the last 15 years, since the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced, scientists have learnt that our ancestors apparently interbred with Neanderthals, leaving us with little bits of their DNA.Īlso Read: Homo sapiens in Europe used bow-and-arrow 54,000 years ago: Study Having been passed down for thousands of generations, the researchers said in the study, they found that some DNA inherited from Neanderthals influenced the shape of our faces and that it could have been helpful to our ancestors. This may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa, researchers from the University College London (UCL), UK, said. A particular gene in humans leading to a taller nose from top to bottom was inherited from Neanderthals, a new research has found.

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