Was blood a factor in the death of the Neanderthals ? raw inquiry is render thatHomo sapiensunderwent huge changes in their bloodline groups after entrust Africa , between 70,000 and 45,000 years ago , before spreading across Eurasia .

mass ’s rakehell chemical group is all about the bearing or absence of specific antigen ( protein or loot ) found on the surface of violent blood cells , which are inherit from a someone ’s parents through their genes .

Not only does the group decide who you may get a blood transfusion ororgan donationfrom , but it can also offer cue about the distant story of humans . Despite the opportunities it offers , the cherry-red cell blood mathematical group systems of ancient human populations stay on for the most part a mystery .

In a new study , scientist at Aix - Marseille University in France sequenced the genome of 22H. sapiensand 14 Neanderthals from Eurasia , dating between 120,000 and 20,000 years ago , to understand the genetic science that coded for their blood group .

They were curious to see whetherH. sapiensand Neanderthals partake roue group diversity during the period when the two species met andwildly interbreed with each otherin the Zagros Mountains and the Levant .

The findings showed thatH. sapiens , concisely after migrating out of Africa into Eurasia , germinate novel genetic variants for theRh blood chemical group system(includingRHDandRHCEalleles ) . These newfangled allelomorph were not present in Neanderthals , who had already been living in Eurasia for several hundred thousand years before the reaching ofH. sapiens .

Moreover , these newfangled Rh alleles are absent in advanced sub - Saharan African universe , further highlight that the genetic changes must have germinate speedily in someH. sapiensfollowing their migration out of Africa .

The researchers also identified three ancient blood radical trait no longer found in world today , perchance from a derivation that croak out and did not contribute to New populations that still come through .

At its simplest story , the Rh blood chemical group system of rules is pendant on certain type of protein found on the outside of crimson rip cellphone . masses can be Rh - positive ( they have a " 500 " antigen on their red profligate prison cell ) or Rh - minus ( no D antigen ) . However , there are many different types of Rh ancestry group that involve slightly different surface antigens , such as RhCE and RhDCE .

The precise persona of the Rh protein is n’t perfectly understood . While it ’s thought it could beinvolvedin transporting ammonium and manage pH in the blood line , its broader physiologic significance is still being inquire .

Nevertheless , understanding the Rh alleles identified in this discipline is crucial for applications like blood transfusion and pregnancy monitoring .

A collection of unfortunate factorslikely contribute to the Neanderthals ' dip into extinction , it ’s potential that the Rh allele provided an evolutionary advantage toH. sapienswho were exposed to different selection pressures in the Modern realm of Eurasia .

" For any case of inbreeding of a boorish female person with aHomo sapiensor Denisova male , there is a gamy risk of hemolytic disease [ unnatural breakdown of red lineage cell ] of the newborn baby , ” Stéphane Mazières , lead study source and geneticist at Aix - Marseille University , toldLive Science .

“ This could have conduce to the dying of the Neanderthal population , " Mazières said .

The work is published in the journalScientific Reports .