in my family there is a pretty clear correlation between ai and ginger.
it would account for the high correlation of some ai diseases w ethnicity. there are likely other absorbed ancestors out there to be found. there almost has to be.

it makes sense that a lot of these holdovers could be related to immunities or advantages in disease fighting. major driver of evolution. and it's all well and good until a modern human wakes them up. activated by immune stressors like viruses or pregnancies, the body suddenly notices they are there. foreign genes.

or at least, that's my impression of the theory. but it's very early research.

It does make a certain amount of sense. Thanks for sharing it!

Maybe they were able to survive into more recent times due to location.

just about the maximum of what is left of Neanderthal in our DNA.

Lots of family jokes about that.

There were many more genome variations in the past than we ever guessed before DNA studies were possible.

I have not yet had my own DNA tested. I suspect that there is a lot of Neanderthal DNA in my genetic makeup, too. Just curious - Do you have any allergy or asthma problems? I have read studies that associate some Neanderthal DNA mutations with people who have multiple allergies and asthma.

there are Neanderthal mutations that were beneficial to modern humans in fighting diseases that helped us to survive when our ancestors intermated, but those same mutations are thought to be responsible for causing some modern people to have multiple allergies.

Neanderthal DNA. Since my mother also had multiple allergies, I suspect that she was the Neanderthal culprit in my family.