"Natural Selection" still at play in humans
Biological evolution, is descent with modification. This definition encompasses small-scale evolution (changed in gene frequency in a population from one generation to the next) and large -scale evolution ( the descent of different species from a common ancestor over many generations).
Biological evolution is not simply a matter of change over time.The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor. Through the process of descent with modification, the common ancestor of life on Earth gave rise to the fantastic diversity that we see documented in the fossil record and around us today. Evolution means that we're all distant cousins: humans and oak trees, hummingbirds and whales.
An international team of scientists has detected significant signatures of natural selection in the human genome that influences traits associated with fertility and heart function.
"In natural selection, or "survival of the fittest", characteristics that improve survival are more likely to be passed on to the next generation,"
Professor Yang said, "The opposite also occurs, when DNA mutations with a detrimental effect on fitness are less likely to be passed on, by a process called negative selection.The researchers said they found evidence of negative selection- the removal of deleterious gene variants- in several traits. And the strongest evidence was in traits related to cardiovascular function and reproductive function, such as waist to hip ratio, with excess fat around the waist thought to increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Zeng said the most significant negative selection of DNA mutations was related to reproductive function, such as age at menopause.
He quoted that " We have found genetic variants associated with fertility seem to have undergone the strongest selection compared to those associated with other traits, likely because of the strong correlation between fertility and genetic fitness". Dr. Zeng said. "Negative selection prevents "bad' mutations from from spreading through the population, meaning that common DNA variants are likely to have small or no effect on traits. This study will help us better understand the genetic basis of complex traits and inform the design of future experiments in complex traits and medical genomics."
Biological evolution is not simply a matter of change over time.The central idea of biological evolution is that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor. Through the process of descent with modification, the common ancestor of life on Earth gave rise to the fantastic diversity that we see documented in the fossil record and around us today. Evolution means that we're all distant cousins: humans and oak trees, hummingbirds and whales.
An international team of scientists has detected significant signatures of natural selection in the human genome that influences traits associated with fertility and heart function.
"In natural selection, or "survival of the fittest", characteristics that improve survival are more likely to be passed on to the next generation,"
Professor Yang said, "The opposite also occurs, when DNA mutations with a detrimental effect on fitness are less likely to be passed on, by a process called negative selection.The researchers said they found evidence of negative selection- the removal of deleterious gene variants- in several traits. And the strongest evidence was in traits related to cardiovascular function and reproductive function, such as waist to hip ratio, with excess fat around the waist thought to increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Zeng said the most significant negative selection of DNA mutations was related to reproductive function, such as age at menopause.
He quoted that " We have found genetic variants associated with fertility seem to have undergone the strongest selection compared to those associated with other traits, likely because of the strong correlation between fertility and genetic fitness". Dr. Zeng said. "Negative selection prevents "bad' mutations from from spreading through the population, meaning that common DNA variants are likely to have small or no effect on traits. This study will help us better understand the genetic basis of complex traits and inform the design of future experiments in complex traits and medical genomics."
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