Apparently, it’s the geneticists’ “worst nightmare”:
The researchers looked at the DNA of people from Melanesia, as the levels of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA are highest in these populations. They found evidence of much longer chunks of archaic DNA in this population.
Two large pieces of DNA were found that originate from ancient hominins. One is on chromosome 16 and comes from Denisovans. It contains two duplicated sections. The other is on chromosome 8 and comes from Neanderthals. It includes both a deletion and a duplication …
However, it is unclear what the advantages have been. “I think the biggest challenge is proving the function,” says Eichler. This will be difficult because the genes are only found in humans, so animal studies will not help, and they have been duplicated and then subtly altered. “You’re talking about a set of genes which are a geneticist’s worst nightmare.”
Michael Marshall, “Long strand of DNA from Neanderthals found in people from Melanesia” at New Scientist
Karma, baby. Karma. Goes around, comes around.
See also: What difference does Neanderthal ancestry make?
Was Neanderthal man fully human? The role racism played in assessing the evidence
and
A deep and abiding need for Neanderthals to be stupid. Why?