Recent research has shown that one to four percent of the genomes of contemporary humans, whose ancestors left Africa, contain Neanderthal DNA; nonetheless, it has remained unclear how much of those genes are still actively impacting human characteristics.
A multi-institutional research tea
In a study published in eLife, the researchers reported that some Neanderthal genes are responsible for certain traits in modern humans, including several with a significant influence on the immune system. Overall, however, the study shows that modern human genes are winning out over success