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Neanderthals and the Blood Connection: Could Their Rh Factor Have Sealed Their Fate?
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Neanderthals and the Blood Connection: Could Their Rh Factor Have Sealed Their Fate?

How Ancient Blood Types May Explain the Demise of Neanderthals

Jan 23, 2025
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Neanderthals and the Blood Connection: Could Their Rh Factor Have Sealed Their Fate?
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For decades, scientists have studied the decline and eventual disappearance of Neanderthals, our closest extinct relatives. A recent study published in Scientific Reports1 offers a unique perspective, focusing on the genetic makeup of their red blood cells. The research suggests that a rare blood group found in Neanderthals, linked to potential fatal complications in newborns, might have contributed to their downfall.

Incompatibility between a mother's and fetus's blood types, like Rh incompatibility, can have serious consequences. This occurs when an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive fetus. While potentially life-threatening for the baby, this phenomenon might have also played a role in the decline of Neanderthals, highlighting the impact of blood type differences beyond modern human populations

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