News in Brief Genetics

We’re more Neandertal than we thought

Inherited genes from the extinct hominids linked to sunburns, being a night owl

toddler on a sunny beach

ANCIENT TRAITS  Some people may have inherited a tendency to sunburn from Neandertals, a new study finds.

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By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

Modern people of European and Asian ancestry carry slightly more Neandertal DNA than previously realized.

About 1.8 to 2.6 percent of DNA in non-Africans is an heirloom of ancient human-Neandertal interbreeding, researchers report online October 5 in Science.