Early humans began in Africa and traveled worldwide 80,000 years ago. They met other ancient humans like Neanderthals in Europe and Asia. They had babies together, and today, modern humans still carry some Neanderthal DNA.
In Bergamo, Italy, many people died from Covid-19 at the start of the pandemic. A study there suggests that genes from Neanderthals, who were like our old family, might explain why some got very sick, and others didn’t. But the study doesn’t say why Bergamo had more deaths than other places.
In the early days of Covid-19, we learned that old age was a big risk. Scientists also thought genes could make some people sicker than others. Families often got sick together, which hinted that genes might play a role.
