The researchers studied the admixture of humans and Neanderthals using 14 million archaic chromosome fragments detected in whole genomes from 27,566 Icelanders.
Though it is unclear whether the virus became pathogenic before or after the jump from animals to humans, genomic features point to a natural source for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Nuclear and mitochondrial genome sequences from 120,000-year-old Neanderthal remains from Germany and Belgium revealed genetic ties to more recent Neanderthal populations.
Nobel laureates and scientific societies urge NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services to revisit the recent decision to end funding for a coronavirus grant.
In Science this week: machine learning algorithm for faster Mendelian disorder diagnoses, gene linked to safe response to nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, and more.
