Gene Variant May Have Helped Ancient Humans Survive Starvation
From www.scientificamerican.com
2022-01-17 13:00:00
James Dinneen
Excerpt:
About a million years ago a small mutation might have unlocked a big advantage for ancient humans. A recent study in Science Advances suggests that a variant of a critical stretch of DNA called the growth hormone receptor gene protected against starvation—in part by limiting individuals’ body size during periods of resource scarcity. The variant was widespread among Homo sapiens and their relatives, although it suddenly plummeted in frequency beginning around 40,000 years ago, especially in East Asia and Eurasia. Many people still carry it today.
Previous research had linked the variant, called GHRd3, to characteristics such as smaller birth size and earlier sexual maturity, as well as other qualities that can benefit organisms when food is scarce, says the study’s lead author Omer Gokcumen, an anthropologist at the University at Buffalo. Still, researchers wanted to know more precisely what role the mutation played in human evolution.
To dig deeper, Gokcumen and his…
