Covid struck Asia 25,000 years ago altering people s DNA, bombshell study claims
Evolutionary geneticists have made a stunning discovery that may explain why Covid-19 infection and death rates have been lower in East Asia than elsewhere in the world
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Genetics: Deciphering the ancestry of the Pacific region | Nature natureasia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from natureasia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Researchers analyzed the genomes of 317 Indigenous Oceanian people to reconstruct a history of migration through the vast island region. Marc Dozier
Study reveals ‘exciting’ history of humans in Pacific. But critics blast lack of Indigenous input
Apr. 14, 2021 , 11:20 AM
It was one of the boldest journeys in human history: People ventured into the open Pacific Ocean in double-hulled canoes, crossing thousands of kilometers to find and settle far-flung lands. Now, a study of the genomes of hundreds of modern Indigenous residents of Oceania provides new insights into the routes those ancient voyagers took and who they encountered along the way. The findings suggest more mingling among ancient people in the region than many scientists had thought, including four mixing events with the extinct Denisovan lineage. Despite those intriguing results, critics say the authors failed to meaningfully involve members of the Indigenous communities who provided DNA for the stu
3 hours ago
An ancient coronavirus, or a closely related pathogen, triggered an epidemic among ancestors of present-day East Asians roughly 25,000 years ago, a new study indicates.
Analysis of DNA from more than 2,000 people shows that genetic changes in response to that persistent epidemic accumulated over the next 20,000 years or so, David Enard, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, reported April 8 at the virtual annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. The finding raises the possibility that some East Asians today have inherited biological adaptations to coronaviruses or closely related viruses.
The discovery opens the way to exploring how genes linked to ancient viral epidemics may contribute to modern disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Genes with ancient viral histories might also provide clues to researchers searching for better antiviral drugs, although that remains to be demonstrated.