Genetic analysis shows that Culex pipiens molestus mosquitoes originated in human environments in ancient Egypt rather than evolving in the London Underground tunnels as previously thought. This species, which thrived underground during World War II, actually shares genetic roots with common house mosquitoes. Researchers extracted DNA from various global populations to trace the evolutionary history, revealing that these mosquitoes adapted to living alongside humans over a millennium ago, likely coinciding with the development of early agricultural civilizations. Their findings challenge previous assumptions about the species' origins and highlight its broader historical significance.
Culex pipiens molestus were notorious during the Second World War for biting Londoners sheltering from German air raids in the Underground's tunnels and stations.
To trace where the insects might have originated, evolutionary biologist Yuki Haba and colleagues extracted DNA from 357 C. pipiens molestus mosquitoes collected from across Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
The team's results suggest that molestus mosquitoes first adapted to human environments above ground in what is now Egypt, over the course of more than 1,000 years.
The fastest rate of genetic divergence between pipiens and molestus seems to have been about 2,000 years ago.
#culex-pipiens-molestus #mosquito-evolution #genetic-analysis #historical-origins #human-interaction
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