""How we became human is a story that played out over a very deep time scale and over a very big area," says Eleanor Scerri, emphasizing the long-term influences on human evolution."
""The majority of diseases will actually not leave a trace in the remains of an individual that died," explains Andrea Manica, highlighting the challenges in studying ancient diseases."
""I feel like it's a first step to explore further what are the interactions between human[s] and diseases in the past," states Margherita Colucci, reflecting on the significance of the research findings."
Human settlement has been shaped by climate and landscape for tens of thousands of years. New research suggests that disease, specifically malaria, also influenced where early humans lived. Evidence indicates that populations avoided malaria hotspots for at least 74,000 years. A mutation in West Africa around 15,000 years ago provided some protection against malaria, allowing for expanded habitation. This research highlights the complex interactions between humans and diseases throughout history, utilizing climate models to analyze past conditions.
Read at www.npr.org
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