David Reich – Why the Bronze Age was an inflection point in human evolution
Ancient DNA ResearchHuman HistoryNatural SelectionGenetic DriftPopulation MigrationsBronze Age EvolutionImmune System GeneticsMetabolic TraitsBehavioral GeneticsCognitive PerformanceLactase PersistenceTuberculosis RiskBody Fat RegulationAgricultural RevolutionNeanderthal-Modern Human RelationsMiddle Stone AgeMitochondrial DNAY ChromosomeGenome-Wide Association Studies
David Reich discusses his new preprint, co-authored with Ali Akbarri, which challenges the long-standing consensus that natural selection has been largely dormant in humans since the agricultural revolution. Their research, based on a massive ancient DNA dataset and a novel statistical method, reveals that natural selection has actually accelerated, particularly during the Bronze Age, impacting traits from immune function and metabolism to cognitive performance. The episode also delves into a new theory about the complex genetic and cultural relationships between Neanderthals and modern humans.