Mitochondrial DNA of Neanderthal sequenced 07 Aug 2008
The mitochondrial DNA from the 38,000 year old remains of a Neanderthal
has been sequenced by researchers at the Max Planck Institute in
Germany. The sequence data suggest that humans and Neanderthals
separated about 660,000 years ago, and that their population was very
small.
Science reports that "Human and Neandertal mitochondrial DNAs differ at 206
positions out of the 16,565 examined, while modern humans differ at
only about 100 positions when compared with each other....The
mitochondrial genome contains 13 genes, blueprints for stringing amino
acids together to make proteins. The researchers examined the nature of
changes within those genes to learn how proteins evolve. Generally,
changes that alter the amino acid sequence of a protein are bad because
they disrupt the way a protein works or interacts with other
proteins.... Neandertals have more amino-acid altering changes in their
mitochondrial genes than do other primates."
The
Daily Telegraph notes that "Today's work is consistent with our ancestors outcompeting them, or even driving them into oblivion."
