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UrduThe same genetics that helped some of our ancestors fight the plague is still likely to be at work in our bodies today, potentially providing some of the population with extra protection against respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. However, there is a trade-off, where this same variation is also linked to increased autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Tag: Black Death
Plague trackers: Researchers cover thousands of years in a quest to understand the elusive origins of the Black Death
Seeking to better understand more about the origins and movement of bubonic plague, in ancient and contemporary times, researchers at McMaster University, University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne, have completed a painstaking granular examination of hundreds of modern and ancient genome sequences, creating the largest analysis of its kind.
Selection of human immune-related genes was driven by the Black Death
New research on ancient DNA found individuals with two copies of a specific variant of the ERAP2 gene were much more likely to survive the plague.
The Black Death shaped the evolution of immunity genes, setting the course for how we respond to disease today, researchers find
An international team of scientists who analyzed centuries-old DNA from victims and survivors of the Black Death pandemic has identified key genetic differences that determined who lived and who died, and how those aspects of our immune systems have continued to evolve since that time.