Did you know that a coronavirus epidemic hit 20,000 years ago?
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Did you know that a coronavirus epidemic hit 20,000 years ago?
Scientists say that a few dozen human genes rapidly evolved in ancient East Asia to thwart coronavirus infections. Those genes could be crucial to today’s pandemic.
Over the past 20 years, three coronaviruses have adapted to infect humans and cause severe respiratory disease: COVID-19, SARS and MERS. (Photo: AP)
04 Jul 2021 07:28AM
(Updated:
04 Jul 2021 07:30AM)
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Researchers have found evidence that a coronavirus epidemic swept East Asia some 20,000 years ago and was devastating enough to leave an evolutionary imprint on the DNA of people alive today.