"We Are What We Eat", Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals

"Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits. Findings point to the molecular resemblance in climate adaptation traits of the two species" (Tel Aviv University, 2019).

"We are what we eat". It sounds somewhat creepy. Unfortunately, it happened to Homo sapiens, our human beings.

Specifically, our ancestors, Neanderthals, hunted Woolly mammoths for food. It would be completely normal if these species have nothing in common. However, according to the study of Professor Ran Barkai and Meidad Kislev, Neanderthals and Woolly mammoths have the same "thermogenesis and the regulation of adipose tissue and fat storage throughout the body", keratin protein activity and the genes MC1R and SLC7A11. Another hypothesis also supposes that these species might have " genetic similarities between evolutionary adaptation paths" (Tel Aviv University, 2019).

Thermogenesis is the heat production within a living organism (Busbridge & Rothwell, 1993). Adipose tissue's function is "store energy in the form of fat, although it also cushions and insulates the body". Keratin is a structural protein that makes up hair, nails, or horns (Bragulla & Homberger, 2009). MC1R gene helps to build up melanocortin 1 receptor whose role involves pigmentation which is the natural coloring of a living organism (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2019). Lastly, SLC7A11 "encodes a member of a heteromeric, sodium-independent, anionic amino acid transport system that is highly specific for cysteine and glutamate" (HGNC, 2019).

If the Neanderthals acknowledged this fact, would they find another food source? In Ice Age, mammoths seemed to be the biggest threat to humans because of their size. Also with that reason, mammoths the ideal target for humans. Since then, humans would have a larger amount of food than hunting other species. Plus, the living condition in Ice Age is limited. With these reasons, even if they had been aware of the similarities between them and mammoths, they could hardly replace their habits and food choices.

If the Neanderthals and Woolly mammoths share the same genetic traits, will Homo sapiens has anything in common with Loxodonta africana, elephants?

Eurus Thach.

References:

American Friends of Tel Aviv University. (2019, April 8). Woolly mammoths and Neanderthals may have shared genetic traits: Findings point to molecular resemblance in climate adaptation traits of the two species. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 28, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190408123240.htm

Bragulla, H., & Homberger, D. (2009). Structure and functions of keratin proteins in simple, stratified, keratinized and cornified epithelia. Journal of Anatomy, 214(4), pp. 516–559. Retrieved from PMC. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2009.01066.x.

Busbridge, N., Rothwell, N. (1993). 6 - Thermogenic Effects of Cytokines: Methods and Mechanisms. Methods in Neurosciences,17(B), pp. 96-110. Retrieved 2013 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043947113700119.

HGNC. (2019). SLC7A11 solute carrier family 7 member 11 [Homo sapiens (human)]. Gene. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/23657.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2019). MC1R gene, melanocortin 1 receptor. Genetics Home Reference. Retrieved from https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/gene/MC1R.

Wikipedia. (n. d). Adipose tissue. The free encyclopedia. Retrieved from ScienceDaily.