Some modern humans have more Neanderthal DNA in their genetic make-up than first thought, a new study has found.Research shows that between 1.8 and 2.6 per cent of the genomes of modern, non-African human populations is made up of Neanderthal DNA.This is far higher than previous estimates of 1.5 to 2.1 per cent.These genes play roles in our cholesterol levels, eating disorders, arthritis and other diseases today, the researchers claim.The study follows separate research, published yesterday, which found that Neanderthal DNA can drive our smoking habits, mood swings, and skin tone.Neanderthals are the closest extinct relatives of humans, migrating to Europe from Africa thousands of years before our Homo Sapien ancestors.Early humans migrating from Africa interbred with Neanderthals in Europe roughly 100,000 years ago, and this DNA mixing still contributes to several modern traits.Researchers believe the genes from our extinct cousins could have helped our ancestors to thrive as they adapted to the European continent.In the new study, experts from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, analysed billions of DNA fragments sampled from the remains of a female Neanderthal.It is only the second genome of the species to be fully sequenced with a high level of quality.The ancient female lived 52,000 years ago, and her remains were found in Vindija Cave, Croatia in the 1980s.Previous work has shown that Neanderthals lived in the cave until late in their history, with the species predicted to have gone extinct roughly 45,000 years ago.Compared to other sequenced remains, the researchers found their Croatian Neanderthal - dubbed Vindija 33.19 - was more closely related to the Neanderthals who interbred with the ancestors of modern humans living outside Africa.This closer relation meant the team identified 10 to 20 per cent more Neanderthal DNA in modern humans than previously thought.These newly discovered gene variants contribute to human blood vitamin D levels, LDL cholesterol counts,  as well as body fat levels.The DNA also plays a role in arthritis, schizophrenia and responses to antipsychotic drugs, the study found.'This adds to mounting evidence that Neanderthal ancestry influences disease risk in present-day humans, particularly with respect to neurological, psychiatric, immunological, and dermatological phenotypes,' the authors wrote in their paper.But not all of the Neanderthal DNA is negative, the researchers claims.'Variants from Neanderthals are not necessarily bad for your health,' said study lead author Dr Kay Prüfer told Live Science.'We find one variant that is associated with LDL cholesterol, and the variant we got from Neanderthals is associated with lower LDL cholesterol.'The team compared the genomes of the Vindija Neanderthal with that of a specimen found in Russia's Altai mountains.They found that the two were surprisingly similar, suggesting that the European population of Neanderthals around 52,000 years ago was very small.'The two Neanderthals were separated by thousands of kilometers and probably lived tens of thousands of years separated in time as well,' Dr Prüfer said.'That is why it is so surprising to find them to be so similar.'The new research follows a separate Neanderthal DNA study published yesterday, also from the Max Planck Institute.Scientists studying British DNA found our Neanderthal inheritance affects our skin tone, hair colour, height, sleep patterns, mood, and even a 1

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