Hate your nose? Blame your ancient cousins! Neanderthal DNA dictates the shape, study finds 

It’s something many people are aware of, and if you’re not a fan of your nose, we finally know who to blame.

Scientists have revealed that Neanderthal DNA helps determine the shape of your nose.

A new study led by UCL researchers found that a particular gene, which leads to a longer nose, may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa.

Dr. Kaustubh Adhikari, who led the study, said: “Over the past 15 years, since the Neanderthal genome has been sequenced, we have been able to learn that our own ancestors apparently interbred with Neanderthals, allowing us to extract small pieces of their DNA. have left behind.

‘Here we see that part of the DNA inherited from Neanderthals influences the shape of our faces.

According to the study, researchers recently identified 33 genome regions associated with face shape. They were able to replicate 26 compared to data from other ethnicities using people in East Asia, Europe or Africa

“This could have helped our ancestors, as it has been passed down through thousands of generations.”

The researchers used data from more than 6,000 people across Latin America, of mixed European, Amerindian and African descent, who are part of the UCL-led Candela study, which recruited from Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Peru.

The people’s genetic information was compared to pictures of their faces.

To see how different facial features were related to the presence of different genetic markers, the researchers looked specifically at the distances between points on their faces, such as the tip of the nose or the edge of the lips.

According to the study, researchers recently identified 33 genome regions associated with face shape.

They were able to replicate 26 compared to data from other ethnicities using people in East Asia, Europe or Africa.

In one genomic 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 group) had genetic material in this gene that was inherited from Neanderthals.

They found that this contributed to increased nose height.

This gene region shows signs of natural selection, suggesting it conferred an advantage on those who carried the genetic material, the researchers said.

First author Dr Qing Li, Fudan University, said: ‘It has long been speculated that the shape of our noses is determined by natural selection; because our noses can help us regulate the temperature and humidity of the air we breathe, different shaped noses may be better suited to the different climates our ancestors lived in.

A new study led by UCL researchers found that a particular gene, which leads to a longer nose, may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa

“The gene we identified here may have been inherited from Neanderthals to help humans adapt to colder climates when our ancestors moved out of Africa.”

Co-corresponding author Professor Andres Ruiz-Linares, Fudan University, UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment, and Aix-Marseille University, added: ‘Most genetic studies of human diversity have examined the genes of Europeans; the diverse sample of Hispanic participants in our study extends the range of findings from genetic studies, allowing us to better understand the genetics of all people.’

Researchers say the finding, published in Communications Biology, is the second discovery of DNA from archaic humans, distinct from Homo sapiens, affecting our face shape.

The same team found in a 2021 paper that a gene affecting lip shape was inherited from the ancient Denisovans.

WHAT KILLED THE NEANDERTS?

The first Homo sapiens reached Europe about 43,000 years ago and replaced Neanderthals there about 3,000 years later.

There are many theories about the cause of the Neanderthals’ demise.

Experts have suggested that early humans may have carried tropical diseases from Africa that wiped out their ape-like cousins.

The first Homo sapiens reached Europe about 43,000 years ago and replaced Neanderthals there about 3,000 years later (model shown)

Others argue that the falling temperatures due to climate change wiped out Neanderthals.

The predominant theory is that early humans wiped out the species through competition for food and habitat.

Homo sapiens’ superior brain power and hunting techniques kept Neanderthals from competing.

Based on scans of Neanderthal skulls, a new theory suggests that the heavy-browed hominins lacked key human brain regions vital to memory, thinking and communication skills.

That would have affected their social and cognitive skills – and could kill them because they couldn’t adapt to climate change.