Ancient animal DNA reveals the origins of zoonotic diseases in human history
By
Felix M. Key
Summary
This article examines the origins and evolution of zoonotic diseases—pathogens that jump from animals to humans. It traces how major infectious diseases like plague, tuberculosis, and paratyphoid fever emerged less than 10,000 years ago when human populations shifted from nomadic lifestyles to sedentary or pastoralist societies. The article uses ancient pathogen DNA from animal remains to shed light on when and how these spillover events occurred, providing a deeper understanding of the evolutionary history of infectious diseases that continue to affect human populations.
Source
Twitter / XAncient animal DNA reveals the origins of zoonotic diseases in human historyscim.agKey quotes
· 3 pulledSeveral devastating infectious diseases in human history, such as plague, tuberculosis, and paratyphoid fever, were elicited by zoonotic pathogens that began to infect people less than 10,000 years ago
After this spillover, the pathogens may cause a dead-end infection, but they can also become endemic in the population through human-to-human transmission
An increase in population size, major...
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