"Morning Person? Blame it on Your Neanderthal Genes"
A new study published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution suggests that some humans may have inherited their body clocks from Neanderthal ancestors. Researchers found that certain genetic differences in the circadian systems of Neanderthals and modern humans could be responsible for individuals being "morning people." By analyzing the remaining bits of Neanderthal DNA in modern human genomes, the study revealed a consistent trend of increasing propensity to be a morning person. This change is believed to be an evolutionary adaptation that enables the alignment of the circadian clock with changing seasonal light patterns.