Categories

UMC Links

Human DNA Shows Traces of 40 Million-Year Battle For Survival Between Primate and Pathogen


DNA from up to 25% of the world’s populations (green) show traces of an ongoing, 40-million year battle between primates and bacterial pathogens that cause infectious diseases.

Dec. 11, 2014 – Examination of DNA from 21 primate species – from squirrel monkeys to humans – exposes an evolutionary war against infectious bacteria over iron that circulates in the bloodstream. Supported by experimental evidence, these findings, published in Science on Dec. 12, demonstrate the vital importance of an underappreciated defense mechanism, nutritional immunity. Read the full article here.