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Genes protective during Black Death may now be increasing autoimmune disorders (2022)
Genes that helped people survive during the time of the Black Death are more likely to be found in people with autoimmune diseases alive today. Does this tell scientists anything about what ...
Recently, researchers extracted DNA from the bones of people who perished during the time of the Black Death and compared it to those who survived that pandemic. If any living organism survives long enough to pass favorable genes to the next generation, the species benefits by avoiding potential extinction. Possibly they carry instructions for a particularly vigorous immune system that is able to fight off a dangerous infection, but is also imprecise in its attack or prone to overreaction, leading to the friendly fire of autoimmune illness.
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