Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Have you ever wondered why you’re an early bird or a night owl? It has to do with your circadian rhythms and, according to new research, also Neanderthals!
Your circadian rhythms act like a 24-hour clock in your brain, using light levels to help you to decide when you are sleepy or wide-awake. Though other things (like stress or temperature) can influence your circadian rhythms, light versus dark is a HUGE factor.
It also turns out many people have little bits of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. That includes some Neanderthal genes — we call these ‘introgressed’ genes, that is, genes from other species.
In a recent study, researchers found that some of these Neanderthal genes effect our circadian rhythms! Specifically, these genes were more likely to play a role in your ‘inherited chronotype’ – a chronotype being either an early bird or a night owl, with that chronotype being something you likely inherit.
And that’s just WAY COOL! Learn more in our latest Way Cool Genomics video!
Have you ever wondered why you’re an early bird or a night owl? It has to do with your circadian rhythms and, according to new research, also Neanderthals!
Your circadian rhythms act like a 24-hour clock in your brain, using light levels to help you to decide when you are sleepy or wide-awake. Though other things (like stress or temperature) can influence your circadian rhythms, light versus dark is a HUGE factor.
It also turns out many people have little bits of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes. That includes some Neanderthal genes — we call these ‘introgressed’ genes, that is, genes from other species.
In a recent study, researchers found that some of these Neanderthal genes effect our circadian rhythms! Specifically, these genes were more likely to play a role in your ‘inherited chronotype’ – a chronotype being either an early bird or a night owl, with that chronotype being something you likely inherit.
And that’s just WAY COOL! Learn more in our latest Way Cool Genomics video!
