Neanderthals that interbred with our ancestors may have passed on DNA that causes some people to develop a potentially fatal condition where the brain bulges out of the skull, a new study finds. The disorder, known as Chiari malformation type I, affects the lower part of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that helps control motions. In people with …
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Scientists have uncovered a genetic variant, inherited from Neanderthals, that may limit athletic performance. The mutation is thought to affect roughly 8% of modern-day Europeans and influences the activity of a key enzyme in the production of energy in skeletal muscle. In a study published July 10 in the journal Nature Communications, researchers analyzed more than 2,700 individuals, which revealed …
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Autism has long been seen as a single—if highly heterogeneous—condition. But rather than one continuous spectrum, there are distinct autism subtypes, each tied to its own genetic signature, a new study suggests. The research, published 9 July in the journal Nature Genetics, connects genetic differences to specific patterns in how autism traits appear, supporting the notion that there are “many …
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