Morning Person? You Might Have Neanderthal Ancestry

A study published in Genome Biology and Evolution has found that Neanderthal DNA in present-day humans may determine whether someone is naturally an early riser. The study suggests that as our ancestors migrated to higher latitudes, interbreeding with Neanderthals and other extinct human relatives allowed humans to gain genetic variants adapted to new environments. The research identified circadian-related genes with potential influence on the circadian clock, finding that some humans could have obtained circadian variants from Neanderthals. The study suggests that being a morning person could have been evolutionarily beneficial for our ancestors living in higher latitudes, and having traces of Neanderthal DNA may provide benefits such as adaptability to changing light levels. However, being a morning person is a complex trait influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors.