People who get up first thing in the morning could be genetically related to Neanderthals, a study has suggested.
Boffins found that some modern early risers shares the same clock-related genetic variants with DNA found in Neanderthal fossils and it is all said to be down to interspecies nookie.
More than 550,000 years ago, early humans and Neanderthals split apart.
READ MORE: Bungling bosses are actually making life worse by offering free biscuits in meetings
For the latest news and updates on scientific links between modern man and the earliest primates, click here.
The ancestors of modern humans stayed in Africa while Neanderthals migrated to Europe and Asia.
By the time Neander-thals became extinct about 28,000 years ago, humans had expanded out of Africa, sometimes interbreeding with them. While in Africa days and nights are roughly the same length over the year, in Eurasia day length changes depending on the season.
Geneticist John Capra, of the University of California, said Neander-thals and their ancestors were early risers as they had “a faster-running clock that is better able to adapt to seasonal variation in light levels."
Unlike the primates of old, the people of now seem to be struggling with tasty treats offered in office meetings, with bosses making life worse with free biscuits, the Daily Star reported.
The University of Birmingham's scientific division has reason to believe fatty foods served up in meetings are actually proving more damaging than the nice gesture would first appear to be.
Rosalind Baynham, of the University of Birmingham, said: "Stress is something we all need to deal with. So, next time you are in a big meeting, or in a job interview try and resist the free biscuits and go for some berries. You might find you feel more relaxed."
Ms Baynham added: “Consuming fatty foods when mentally stressed reduced vascular function by 1.74%. This impairment in vascular function persisted for even longer when our participants had eaten the croissants."
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Read Full Article