A surviving signal
On 5 August, Max Planck reported research into a growth hormone receptor variant inherited from Neanderthals. The study combined laboratory work with large human datasets. Carriers showed a modest average difference in muscle mass. [1]
Two numbers, two meanings
In the laboratory, cells carrying the variant grew faster than cells with the comparison receptor. That result is a different measurement from the muscle-mass association in people. A percentage change in cell growth cannot be pasted onto a human body and called a percentage increase in muscle.
An average is not a prediction
An ancestry-linked variant is one detail in a person's biology. The useful reading is statistical: groups differed on average. It is not a reliable way to predict an individual's strength, appearance or athletic performance from ancestry alone.
What to keep in mind
The reported muscle difference is an average association, not a guaranteed personal effect. Laboratory cell growth and adult muscle mass must remain separate claims.
Sources & context
Numbered references link the explanation to its sources. Hypothetical examples and visual metaphors are labelled in the text. Checked 3 October 2026.
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