Monday, November 25, 2019

Disease transmission and introgression can explain the long-lasting contact zone of modern humans and Neanderthals | Nature Communications


https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12862-7

We propose that after several hundred thousand years of largely independent evolution, Neanderthals and Moderns likely acquired immunity and tolerance to different suites of pathogens—a temperate pathogen package in the case of Neanderthals and a tropical pathogen package in Moderns. The re-establishment of contact in the Levant would have resulted in exposure of each species to novel pathogens carried by the other species. In turn, these pathogens could have spread to the new susceptible hosts, placing a considerable disease burden on both species.

_- Steve

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