The Neanderthals have won a Nobel prize. Well, almost. Even if most people havent heard of Svante Pbo, the Swedish geneticist whose work on ancient genomes and human evolution has landed him with 2022s award for physiology or medicine, or the exact science behind palaeogenomics and ancient DNA, they certainly have heard of Neanderthals.
Honouring his contribution to building this incredibly vibrant field of palaeogenomics, the award is much deserved: you need vision, persistence and pioneering methods to recover and sequence immensely old, fragile genetic material. But its also a recognition of the astonishing revelations about our deep history that have come from palaeogenomics, which holds many untapped secrets about who we are today, including settling the long-debated question of whether Neanderthals and Homo sapiens ever encountered each other and, lets say, warmed up those icy tundra nights (the answer is yes, many times).
For research communities, the prize also feels like a recognition of the relevance of work on palaeogenomics, human origin and archaeology more broadly and its continuing importance. Research in the 21st century on our hominin relations, including Neanderthals, is an entirely interdisciplinary, collaborative endeavour. All kinds of material analyses take place, in all sorts of ways. We use photogrammetry or lasers to record entire caves in 3D; trace how stone tools were moved across the land; examine microlayers within ancient hearths; even pick out the starches preserved in grot between ancient teeth. And the advent of the ability to retrieve palaeogenomics from extraordinarily old contexts was nothing short of revolutionary. Today, DNA can be extracted not only from bones, but even from cave sediments: the dust of long vanished lives, waiting for millennia to be found. It has made it possible to assess individual Neanderthals genetic profiles, and has opened windows into previously invisible population histories and interactions.
More than a decade on from the first big findings, today there is a huge community of palaeogenomics researchers, in large part thanks to Pbo, with many having trained with him. Among the younger generations at the front end of the sampling, processing and analytical work who may be the first to make and recognise key new discoveries many are women. They include Mateja Hajdinjak of the Crick Institute whose work has identified complex patterns of interbreeding among Neanderthals and the earliest Homo sapiens in Europe, and Samantha Brown from the University of Tbingen, whose meticulous work on unidentifiable bone scraps found the only known first-generation hybrid, a girl whose mother was Neanderthal and father Denisovan (closely related hominins from eastern Eurasia). Alongside wielding scientific clout, they are overturning outdated ideas that the hard sciences of statistics and white coats (or, in palaeogenomics, full-body protection) are male domains.
As an incredibly fast-moving field, palaeogenomics has achieved an enormous amount in a relatively short space of time. Innovative approaches are constantly being developed, and it must be admitted, even for those of us working in human origins, that keeping up with new methods and jargon can be challenging. The rapidity of advances, especially in competitive academic contexts, has also led to a number of ethical issues. While many are being tackled, the direction of some research may soon force the field to lay out official standards and draw ethical red lines when, for example, reconstructing the brains of Neanderthals using genetic engineering.
Ultimately, while decoding ancient hominin genomes has allowed us to identify which inherited genes we have today hence the physiology or medicine element of the Nobel prize the recognition of Pbos work seems more about much deeper themes, resonating with something of a Neanderthal zeitgeist. Since the discovery of their fossils more than 165 years ago, science has been engaged in dethroning Homo sapiens, demoting us from special creations to something still marvellous but not entirely unique.
Palaeogenomics bolstered this vision of an Earth that hosted many sorts of human, at least five of which were still walking around just 40,000 years ago; translate that figure to a generational scale, and youd see a chain of just 2,000 people linking hands. Ancient DNA has confirmed that we are both embedded within a rich history of hominin diversity, and that we still embody that history ourselves. Alongside the genetic material we acquired sideways through interbreeding with Neanderthals and other species, a recent study found that less than 10% of our genome is distinctive to Homo sapiens, evolved uniquely in us.
Most strikingly, popular understanding has shifted too. While some still drag out Neanderthal as a slur, it now seems somewhat abstracted from general public views. The archaeological evidence for Neanderthals complex, sophisticated minds, with genetic revelations of how close we really are to them, has transformed opinion on who they were, and what that means for us. The knowledge that the very stuff of Neanderthals is still present today in each human heart, thumping with fear or joy has forged a new emotional connection not just to them, but to all our other hominin relations. It also underlines the fact that they, and we, have always been part of a planetary web of life.
The most profound legacy of Pbos establishment of palaeogenomics is, or should be, humility. Because it turns out that many of the earliest Homo sapiens populations entering Eurasia eventually shared the same fate as the Neanderthals they met and mingled with. Their lineages vanished, culturally but also genetically, leaving behind no descendants among living humans. Perhaps the greatest inheritance they left us is understanding that our story is not one of predestined, exceptional success, but a blend of serendipity and coincidence; and that being the last hominin standing is not necessarily something to be proud of.
Read the rest here:
Behind this Nobel prize is a very human story: theres a bit of Neanderthal in all of us - The Guardian
- Principles of Genetic Engineering - PMC - National Center for ... - March 28th, 2024
- Historic Overview of Genetic Engineering Technologies for Human Gene ... - March 28th, 2024
- 20.3: Genetic Engineering - Biology LibreTexts - December 10th, 2023
- Genetically modified organism - Wikipedia - November 16th, 2023
- Genetic engineering - DNA Modification, Cloning, Gene Splicing - November 16th, 2023
- 18 Human Genetic Engineering - Clemson University - April 7th, 2023
- Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering - Benefits and Risks - April 7th, 2023
- Genetic Engineering - Meaning, Applications, Advantages and Challenges ... - March 12th, 2023
- Genetic Engineering Principles of Biology - December 27th, 2022
- Engineering the Perfect Baby | MIT Technology Review - December 27th, 2022
- What is CRISPR? | Live Science - November 24th, 2022
- To modify or not to modify? Genetic Modification and Gene Editing - A divergence by the UK - Lexology - October 13th, 2022
- DNA and the impossibility of research in isolation - Morning Star Online - October 13th, 2022
- Genome editing technologies: final conclusions of the re-examination of Article 13 of the Oviedo Convention - Council of Europe - October 13th, 2022
- Approval, Commercialization Highlighted at Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - October 13th, 2022
- Dissatisfaction and New Articulations - Discovery Institute - October 13th, 2022
- In 'The Cultivar Series,' Uli Westphal Gets to the Root of Crop Diversity and Agricultural Modification - Colossal - October 13th, 2022
- Genomic Research Aids in the Effort to Understand How Best to Treat Deadly Infections Caused by a Fungus - UMass News and Media Relations - October 13th, 2022
- Synthetic Biology Market is Expected to Report a CAGR of ~21% from 2021 to 2029: Industry Size, Growth & Forecast at Douglas Insights - Yahoo... - October 13th, 2022
- Farmers, consumers will embrace GMOs if they understand them - The Standard - October 13th, 2022
- Emily Whitten: The limits of science and human intelligence - WORLD News Group - October 13th, 2022
- Earth materials in technology The National - The National - October 13th, 2022
- Gene therapy brings hope to people with sickle cell, HIV - Monitor - October 13th, 2022
- Eligo Bioscience Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) and Rare Pediatric Disease (RPD) Designation for EB003 for the Prevention of Hemolytic... - October 13th, 2022
- Skin Grafting, Cryopreservation, and Diseases: A Review Article - Cureus - October 13th, 2022
- Cultured meat could help solve the climate crisis. Heres what it will take to move it from the lab to the dinner table - Fortune - October 13th, 2022
- Ignore scary messages: We've never had it so good & that's not manure - West Side Index & Gustine Press-Standard - October 13th, 2022
- Global Phosphoramidite Market Report 2022: Increasing Synthetic Nucleotide Applications in Therapeutics Drives Growth - ResearchAndMarkets.com -... - October 13th, 2022
- Enzymes Market worth $16.9 billion by 2027 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets - Yahoo Finance - October 4th, 2022
- Experts Sound Alarm Over 'Growing Threat' of Genetically Engineered Trees - Common Dreams - October 4th, 2022
- Scientists are manipulating the DNA of mosquitoes to fight the spread of malaria - Euronews - October 4th, 2022
- Smile Coffee Werks upgraded its coffee beans to Fair Trade and USDA Organic - Vending Market Watch - October 4th, 2022
- COVID mRNA Jabs and Testing Kicked Off This Industry of Drug Development: Here's What You Need to Know - The Epoch Times - October 4th, 2022
- 22nd Century Group (Nasdaq: XXII) Expands VLN Distributor Network with the Addition of Specialty Distrib - Benzinga - October 4th, 2022
- Researchers are seeking to develop spuds that resist harmful nematodes - FreshPlaza.com - October 4th, 2022
- Synthetic biology has the power to cure and kill. How will we use it? - Big Think - September 25th, 2022
- SPECIAL REPORT: Bioengineered food labeling: 'They kind of shot in the middle and missed every constituency' - FoodNavigator-USA.com - September 25th, 2022
- Yeast-Fermented Chemo: Now We Can Brew Anything - Medscape - September 25th, 2022
- September 23, 2022: The Integrity of Marius Mason WFHB - WFHB News - September 25th, 2022
- 2 Risky Cathie Wood Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold for 5 Years - The Motley Fool - September 25th, 2022
- Bananas threatened by devastating fungus given temporary resistance - New Scientist - September 25th, 2022
- 'What Hath God Wrought' - Today, Luddites Are Concerned About Weedkillers Like They Once Were The Telegraph - Science 2.0 - September 25th, 2022
- Children should be educated about oral health and hygiene - Star of Mysore - September 25th, 2022
- Id rather eat an actual burger: why plant-based meats sizzle fizzled in the US - The Guardian - September 25th, 2022
- Health Tech startups are booming. These 11 VC investors are behind some of the hottest deals - Fortune - September 25th, 2022
- Last Chance This Fall to Tell the NOSB To Uphold Organic Integrity - Beyond Pesticides - September 25th, 2022
- Cambodian PM begins official visit to Cuba - Khmer Times - September 25th, 2022
- Researchers develop method to prevent spread of melanoma to brain - Xinhua - September 25th, 2022
- I'm allergic to the cat, what can I do? - Surinenglish.com - September 25th, 2022
- Researchers Propose a New Way of Regulating Engineered Crops - Modern Farmer - September 16th, 2022
- Purple Tomato is first genetically engineered plant to be deregulated through USDA's new regulatory status review process - Lexology - September 16th, 2022
- Genetically Modified Feed Market to Hit $135 billion by 2030, says Global Market Insights Inc. - Yahoo Finance - September 16th, 2022
- Africa, GMOs and Western Interests - DW (English) - September 16th, 2022
- The science behind the oil supply breakdown in 'Last Light' - Syfy - September 16th, 2022
- Inside the controversial plan to bring extinct animals back from the dead - The Independent - September 16th, 2022
- Star Trek Actor Says Their Trek Hero Is Just Like Their Marvel Character - Giant Freakin Robot - September 16th, 2022
- Scientists closer to making blood stem cells in the lab - Cosmos - September 16th, 2022
- Oncolytic Cancer Therapies Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% by 2032 | DelveInsight - Digital Journal - September 16th, 2022
- Don't call it waste - it can be turned into hydrogen if you handle it right - Innovation Origins - September 16th, 2022
- Can gene editing ease the cost of living crisis? - The Grocer - September 8th, 2022
- Gene editing could revive the American chestnut tree and help fight climate change but familiar anti-biotechonology activist critics will have none... - September 8th, 2022
- Colossal to de-extinct the Tasmanian tiger. Is it a safe thing to do? - Cape Cod Times - September 8th, 2022
- The Future of Nanotech, the World's Tiniest Industry - Entrepreneur - September 8th, 2022
- Viewpoint: The 'natural food' sham 'Effective communication on the ethics of science may be hindered by appeals to naturalness' - Genetic Literacy... - September 8th, 2022
- Toray says it has developed the worlds first 100% bio-based adipic acid - Biofuels Digest - September 8th, 2022
- Chinese scientists claim to have engineered the world's first mouse with fully reprogrammed genes - Interesting Engineering - August 30th, 2022
- Century Therapeutics Receives Study May Proceed Notification from FDA for CNTY-101, the First Allogeneic Cell Therapy Product Candidate Engineered to... - August 30th, 2022
- Living Carbon: The startup setting down roots from 9 to 5 | Greenbiz - GreenBiz - August 30th, 2022
- Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine Granted Expanded Conditional Marketing Authorization in the United Kingdom for Use in Adolescents Aged 12 Through... - August 30th, 2022
- Genetics in fiction - Wikipedia - August 14th, 2022
- Weeds superpower could help feed the planet - Freethink - August 14th, 2022
- POSEIDA THERAPEUTICS, INC. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-Q) - Marketscreener.com - August 14th, 2022
- Novartis Confirms Deaths of Two Patients Treated with Gene Therapy Zolgensma - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News - August 14th, 2022
- LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lessons from 1984 | Letters To Editor | carolinacoastonline.com - Carolinacoastonline - August 14th, 2022
- How Arkeon Biotechnologies is turning CO2 into food: 'Excuse my language, but this is next-level cool' - FoodNavigator.com - August 14th, 2022
- Synlogic Announces Synthetic Biotic for Gout Developed in Partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks - PR Newswire - August 14th, 2022
- THE SAD STORY OF THE REJECTION OF SCIENCE - Sp Supplements - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - August 14th, 2022
- Global Genome Editing Technologies market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15.96% by 2032: Visiongain Reports Ltd - Yahoo Finance - August 5th, 2022
- I Got Critiqued by YouTuber Gutsick Gibbon - Discovery Institute - August 5th, 2022
- CRISPR Technology in the Agricultural Industry: Patent and Regulatory Updates - JD Supra - August 5th, 2022