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Where is the Neandertal mtDNA?

By razib on August 10, 2006.

Blogger NuSapiens offers an intriguing comment on my post about Neandertal introgression:

It's been shown that some mtDNA lines are associated with metabolic adaptations related to climate. This is a serious violation of the neutrality requirement for tracking things, especially far back in time. Adam and Eve are cute stories, but I wonder whether they will be around after another generation.

Neanderthal disappeared during a climate shift in Europe. If Neanderthal mtDNA was adapted to Euro-tundra, I wouldn't expect that to stick around very long during a thaw period. If at all, it might be in the far north.

Does this make sense? There is evidence for selection on particular metabolic rates in mtDNA. In fact, we also know that modern high latitude populations exhibit metabolic adaptations.

Tags
genetics

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Is it possible that just like the presence of lactose tolerant genes - whose likely origin was in Northern Europe - in South Asians, where we get the phenomenon of a highly beneficial allele jumping from population A to population B and from there reaching a high frequency due to selection, that a similar thing could have happened with mtDNA of Neandertals - that in effect there are people who are mostly/wholly Neandertal autosomally, but have the beneficial mtDNA of more Modern humans??

Where is the Neandertal mtDNA?

First place I'd check would be the White House.

By somnilista, FCD (not verified) on 11 Aug 2006 #permalink