The Neanderthal gene in modern Europe

Echetlaeus

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Does it still exist among Europeans, and if yes, in which countries we find the highest percentage?
 
app. Tuscany
Prof. John Hawks (2012) - Uni. of Wisconsin
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews...mes-introgression-among-populations-2012.html
'The Tuscans have the highest level of Neandertal similarity of any of the 1000 Genomes Project samples. They have around a half-percent more Neandertal similarity than Brits or Finns in these samples. The CEU sample is slightly elevated compared to Brits and Finns as well'

and app. Ötzi
Prof. John Hawks (2012) - Uni. of Wisconsin
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/neandertals/neandertal_dna/neandertal-ancestry-iced-2012.html
'He has substantially greater sharing with Neanderthals than any other recent person we have ever examined'
 
app. Tuscany
Prof. John Hawks (2012) - Uni. of Wisconsin
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews...mes-introgression-among-populations-2012.html
'The Tuscans have the highest level of Neandertal similarity of any of the 1000 Genomes Project samples. They have around a half-percent more Neandertal similarity than Brits or Finns in these samples. The CEU sample is slightly elevated compared to Brits and Finns as well'

and app. Ötzi
Prof. John Hawks (2012) - Uni. of Wisconsin
http://johnhawks.net/weblog/reviews/neandertals/neandertal_dna/neandertal-ancestry-iced-2012.html
'He has substantially greater sharing with Neanderthals than any other recent person we have ever examined'

I've always been slightly surprised by these findings, as it certainly doesn't seem to fit with the results on 23andme, where the Tuscans and the Italians in general usually score on the low end of the average for Europeans, usually quite a bit lower than northern Europeans, for example.

Of course, the 1000 genomes project doesn't include any samples from whole swathes of Europe, so perhaps that makes a difference?
These are the only populations sampled from Europe:
View attachment 6330

(Just as an aside, everyone keeps using this same TSI sample when there are actually other Tuscan samples available. They should just call it the Florentine sample. Which brings to mind...did Neanderthals have particularly good visual processing skills? Artistic ability?)

And, when Hawks made that comment about Oetzi, were the genomes of the hunter-gatherers from Sweden, La Brana and Loschbour available?

In fact, now that I think about it, have the results of a comparison between these ancient samples and the Neanderthal ones ever been published?

I would think that if recent papers are correct, and the human genome has been undergoing purifying selection for these Neanderthal alleles, that the further back you go, the more Neanderthal you would find, and therefore you would find more Neanderthal in these samples than in Oetzi.
 
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I would think that if recent papers are correct, and the human genome has been undergoing purifying selection for these Neanderthal alleles, that the further back you go, the more Neanderthal you would find.
This seems to be the case. None essential, not much beneficial parts of Neanderthal DNA is being replaced and mutates in faster rate.
 
I've always been slightly surprised by these findings, as it certainly doesn't seem to fit with the results on 23andme, where the Tuscans and the Italians in general usually score on the low end of the average for Europeans, usually quite a bit lower than northern Europeans, for example.

Of course, the 1000 genomes project doesn't include any samples from whole swathes of Europe, so perhaps that makes a difference?
These are the only populations sampled from Europe:
View attachment 6330

Might not be the ultimate representative result but at least somewhat of a proper ref.;

(Just as an aside, everyone keeps using this same TSI sample when there are actually other Tuscan samples available. They should just call it the Florentine sample. Which brings to mind...did Neanderthals have particularly good visual processing skills? Artistic ability?)

I think i know what you mean (?the renaissance right?); I do seriously think Neanderthals were not as dumb as usually portrait (Hollywood) were they as smart/artistic as modern day peoples that i would doubt;

And, when Hawks made that comment about Oetzi, were the genomes of the hunter-gatherers from Sweden, La Brana and Loschbour available?

In fact, now that I think about it, have the results of a comparison between these ancient samples and the Neanderthal ones ever been published?

Im not really sure;
But i think not; Double checking the dates for all the studies could be productive for this because Hawks article was from the 15th August 2012; And he mentions Keller et al (for Ötzi);

I would think that if recent papers are correct, and the human genome has been undergoing purifying selection for these Neanderthal alleles, that the further back you go, the more Neanderthal you would find, and therefore you would find more Neanderthal in these samples than in Oetzi.

I agree with that and i suspect the same results;
 
There are several stories floating around the web after the April 2014 release of a study.

http://www.heritagedaily.com/2014/0...firms-humans-and-neandertals-interbred/102784


The journal this story is based on is here. K. Lohse, L. A. F. Frantz. Neandertal Admixture in Eurasia Confirmed by Maximum Likelihood Analysis of Three Genomes. Genetics, 2014; DOI:

I haven't watched it yet, but Dienekes has posted a talk by Svante Paabo at NIH.
http://www.dienekes.blogspot.com/2014/04/svante-paabo-talk-at-nih.html

They convinced me a while ago. I'm just not sure if there was one admixture event or two. If two, the first took place perhaps nearer the Levant, and the second perhaps in Central Asia, or at any rate, not close to western Asia?

That would explain the DNA results which indicate that the further east you go from a European perspective, the likelier you'll be to find higher levels of Neanderthal alleles in the genome? Or, there was only one, and it occurred closer to the Levant, and the fact that western Eurasians exhibit lower levels is because they've been at the process of purifying selection for a longer time.
 

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