It may be said that human beings have received them from their ancestors; and while some of them have been dormant for slightly more than a long span of time, others are no longer active as they used to be. It seems that only a few of those genes, inherited from the Neanderthals, can save the lung-functions of the Homo Sapiens Sapiens (or the modern man) from the terrible Coronavirus infection! A recent study by an international research team has made this claim. The Research Paper will be published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on March 2, 2021. PNAS is the world’s most-cited American multidisciplinary scientific journal, as it publishes high-impact research reports, commentaries, perspectives, reviews, colloquium papers, and actions of the Academy.

According to the researchers, these genes have been found in the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) of modern humans’ chromosome number 12. The researchers have also claimed that there are a number of such genes in human chromosomes, or in a form of a cluster. Furthermore, these genes are Haplotypes, a group of alleles in an organism that are inherited together from a single parent. Many organisms contain genetic material that is obtained from two parents and combined. Normally, these organisms have their DNA organised in two sets of pairwise similar chromosomes. Researchers are of the opinion that the Homo Sapiens Sapiens carries another variant of some of the genes of the Neanderthals. They have explained that the modern man has inherited the entire cluster of the genes from his ancestors, the Neanderthals! The study has further revealed that for each gene in the cluster, the requirement to admit a COVID-19 patient to the Intensive Care Unit is reduced by about 22%.

A worrisome piece of information has emerged from the study, as well! The cluster of genes, which the modern man has inherited from the Neanderthals, can reduce the activities of those genes that usually destroy the Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) of different viruses, including COVID-19. At least, the Neanderthal genes can change their work patterns!

As per the latest study, the genes from Neanderthals are rarely found in the bodies of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Those people have no genes, inherited from the Neanderthals, in their bodies. However, 25-30% of people living in Asia and Europe have many Neanderthal genes in their bodies. While some of those genes are in dormant condition, others have changed their pattern of activities! The Neanderthal genes have a natural ability to reduce the risk of serious COVID-19 infections in modern humans in Asia and Europe. Even, the African-Americans are seen to possess this set of genes.

Previous studies had claimed that the genes of Neanderthals in the chromosome number 3 of modern human beings help transmit a number of diseases. However, the latest study has triggered a positive hope…

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das