Can’t get a good night’s sleep? Blame the Neanderthals

IF YOU struggle to get a tan, consider yourself a night owl or are plagued with arthritis, then your Neanderthal ancestors could be to blame, genetic research has shown.

Although Neanderthals are often portrayed as swarthy, in fact they arrived in northern Europe long before humans from Africa, giving time for their skin to become paler. When they bred with the arrivals from Africa, those pale genes were passed on.

Likewise, genetic mutations which came from our Neanderthal ancestors, as northern latitudes altered their body clocks. Scientists believe differences in hair colour and mood could be related to inter-breeding, after comparing ancient DNA to 112,000 British people in the UK Biobank study.