New research from scientists in Italy has found people with Neanderthal genes are up to twice as likely to become seriously ill after contracting the virus
The Neanderthals are our ancestors – a now extinct species of humans who died out around 40,000 years ago. The primitive humans lived in Eurasia, a bloc of land that covered what we now know to be Europe and Asia.
The Neanderthals lived in caves, hunted for their food and were tough and accustomed to harsh climates and weather. But according to a new study, if you have Neanderthal genes, you are twice as likely to develop a very dangerous and even life-threatening form of Covid.
Neanderthal DNA is already associated with autoimmune diseases, type 2 diabetes, and prostate cancer. However, when researching the links between Neanderthal genes and Covid, Italian researchers discovered people with three specific Neanderthal gene variations were twice more likely to get severe pneumonia and three times more likely to be hospitalised with a ventilator after contracting the virus.
The new study, published in the journal iScience, was led by researchers with the nonprofit Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research. The team analysed a sample of nearly 1,200 people in the Bergamo province, home to the epicentre of Covid in early 2020.