An Open Access review paper in Human Molecular Biology, Challenges in human genetic diversity: demographic history and adaptation, has a short and easy-to-digest review of many of the major findings over the past 5 years in human evolutionary genomics and the “big picture” implications:
Modern human genetic diversity is the result of demographic history, and selective effects that have acted to adapt different populations to their environments. Broad patterns of global diversity are well explained by geography, based on an out-of-Africa model of early human evolution. Genome-wide searches for signals of selection, plus studies of specific candidate loci and candidate phenotypes, have identified genes that show population differences due to adaptation to pathogens, climate, diet and possibly cognitive challenges. Some past adaptations are now maladaptive, and can lead to disease. However, the history of adaptation is complex, and adaptive explanations are often unsupported by hard evidence.
Closer readers of this weblog (or my other weblog) won’t find anything new, but if you are getting lost because of the allusions I make in the posts it might be worth your time. The list of references is also a good place to start doing your own reading on these topics. Though you are duly warned, don’t expect deep analysis, they covered a lot of ground but with little depth. And they seem to have a sense of humor about this, check out this map they produced….
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