Neanderthals:An Underlying Secret 6

Neanderthals:An Underlying Secret
Jesse J. Matheny
Saddleback Community College

Neanderthals:An Underlying Secret 6

Abstract
When taking a look at our ancestors of the past, Neanderthals being the closest in relationship to modern humans,I ask myself the simple question: what was the cause of
Neanderthals extinction? Modern scientific technology and the ability to test DNA from our ancient ancestors bones are helping us get closer to explaining this phenomenon. According to
Charles Q. Choi, a contributor for Live Science states, “about 1.5 to 2.1 percent of anyone outside Africa is Neanderthal in origin” (Choi, 2014). With roughly 2 percent of Neanderthal
DNA in my genetic makeup, it makes sense that modern humans were involved in the extinction of the Neanderthal identity.
As stated by many researchers before, neanderthals did not go extinct due to modern humans. New research is proving this claim false. Recently, researchers from the University of
Cambridge and Oxford have identified the possibility of diseases are older than what we believed possible. New studies taken from pathogen genomes and DNA of ancient neanderthal bones are showing that diseases were part of neanderthals extinction (Houldcroft, 2016). With neanderthals
DNA being similar to modern humans, they were susceptible to pass genes and inherit bad mutations. In the long run these bad mutations caused many problems within their population.
Bad mutations are passed between individuals by way of sexual connectivity. With neanderthal DNA being part of most modern human DNA, this statistic shows that sexual intimacy was apparent between our ancestors. After our ancestors interbred, the diseases that followed were mainly tapeworm, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, and types of herpes
(Houldcroft,2016). With these types of diseases being common in our community, in a hunter gatherer community these diseases were fatal. These diseases made the neanderthals slow, not being able to catch their food, ultimately leading to food deprivation and extinction.

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A big part of our genetic makeup and natural selection is the ability to adapt to our geographical location. Neanderthals of Eurasia adapted to their climate and were able to prosper, but human exploration from Africa caused tropical infection amongst the neanderthals causing death, not adaption. This belief wouldn’t be similar to Columbus bringing disease to the
Americas, but rather each small group of neanderthals had their own infectious disasters that thinned the group ultimately leading to their demise (Houldcroft, 2016).
Research believed that disease was introduced through the development of agriculture production some 8000 years ago, but through the unraveling of DNA, infectious diseases are linked back as far as millions of years ago. While neanderthals lived in small groups ranging from 15 to 30 members, this allowed for gene flow to surface transferring bad mutations throughout the group with disastrous affects. Ultimately, extinction. With no hard evidence of transmission of infectious diseases between humans and neanderthals, many researchers believe with the time frame and geographical location, sex was occurring between the individuals.
The biggest problem with the neanderthals was not being able to adapt to their African counterparts like the environment of Europe. Simon Underdown a researcher from Oxford
Brookes University describes that, “helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, as a prime candidate for a disease that humans passed to neanderthals. Estimated that the diseases infected humans in Africa 88 to 116 thousand years ago, and arrived in Europe 52,000 years ago. Recent evidence shows that neanderthals went extinct 40,000 years ago” (Underdown,
2016). Another candidate is Herpes Simplex 2, which causes genital herpes. Since humans today share anywhere from 2 to 5 percent of neanderthal DNA, the herpes virus has the ability to jump from one hominin to another through saliva and genital fluids.

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Conclusion
Neanderthals living side by side with humans, the individuals obviously communicated with each other. Through the theory of Natural Selection only the superior survive. It raises the question on how neanderthals living almost 200,000 years as hunter gatherers without problems within their community vanish off the face of earth. Disease mutations passed from humans to neanderthals is a key factor in determining the reasoning for their extinction. This topic relates to our course by understanding that evolution is real and the passing of mutated genes can be disastrous to a civilization. My research is similar to the primary source due to important facts presented in my paper. This research on neanderthal extinction is changing with the advancements of science and our ability to understand DNA. As of now cause of extinction isn’t linked 100 percent to these viruses, but someday we will be able to give an exact reason.

Neanderthals:An Underlying Secret 6

References

Primary Source:Houldcroft,Charles DR. (2016, April 11). Neanderthals May Have Been Infected by Diseases Carried Out of Africa by Humans . Retrieved April 18, 2016, from http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/neanderthals­may­have­been­infected­by­diseases­c arried­out­of­africa­by­humans­say­researchers Secondary Source: Choi, C. Q. (2016, February 11). Neanderthal­Human Trysts May Be Linked to Modern Depression, Heart Disease. Retrieved April 22, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/53691­neanderthal­human­interbreeding­health­risks.html

Neanderthals:An Underlying Secret 6

Summary Researchers are finding new possibilities due to the extinction of neanderthals through pathogen genomes and DNA of discovered neanderthal bones. This research suggests that modern humans expanding from Africa could have possibly given neanderthals mutated genes for disease. Not being able to adapt to African environments like the European environment, neanderthals encountered diseases that made them slow. In the end, being a slow hunter and gatherer led to deprivation food, which then caused the demise of the neanderthal origin.