Post-Mousterian

Wow.  An upcoming article in Nature finds that "The major genetic risk for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neanderthals."

A recent genetic association study1 identified a gene cluster on chromosome 3 as a risk locus for respiratory failure upon SARS-CoV-2 infection. A new study2 comprising 3,199 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and controls finds that this is the major genetic risk factor for severe SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalization (COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative). Here, we show that the risk is conferred by a genomic segment of ~50 kb that is inherited from Neanderthals and is carried by ~50% of people in South Asia and ~16% of people in Europe today.
 I can't see immediate practical solutions coming out of this discovery (CRISPR?), but this is fascinating.

Nine