After studies emerged indicating that the ancestors of modern humans and Neanderthals interbred, researchers have begun to examine what that 2 percent or so of Neanderthal-derived DNA found in modern non-African humans does. Early findings indicated that Neanderthal-derived DNA was enriched in parts of the genome involved in immune and autoimmune traits as well as in skin traits, and researchers have begun examine how these variants function on a molecular level. Neanderthal DNA in Modern Human Genomes Is Not Silent