Sunday, November 26, 2006
Neanderthal DNA Sequenced
Leipzig (Germany), 23 November: A detailed analysis of Neanderthal DNA provides a unique insight into the genetic changes that accompanied the transition from early hominid to modern man. The study, reported in this week’s Nature, paves the way for a Neanderthal genome-sequencing effort.
Svante Pääbo and colleagues analyzed over one million base pairs of DNA from a 38,000-year-old Neanderthal fossil, and compared the results against the human and chimpanzee genomes. The results suggest that Neanderthal and human DNA diverged around 500,000 years ago.
The data also suggest that the effective population size of the common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals was similar to that of contemporary humans. This suggests that earlier hominids, such as Neanderthals, may have expanded from small-sized populations, just like modern humans.
(ResearchSEA)
Svante Pääbo and colleagues analyzed over one million base pairs of DNA from a 38,000-year-old Neanderthal fossil, and compared the results against the human and chimpanzee genomes. The results suggest that Neanderthal and human DNA diverged around 500,000 years ago.
The data also suggest that the effective population size of the common ancestor of humans and Neanderthals was similar to that of contemporary humans. This suggests that earlier hominids, such as Neanderthals, may have expanded from small-sized populations, just like modern humans.
(ResearchSEA)
# posted by mediabhartiwebsolutions @ 3:00 AM 
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