Finding a gene helps people adapt to new foods

Scientists have recently shown that a gene that helps our ancestors adapt to new foods such as strange plants and animals when leaving Africa was 85,000 years ago.

Two genes, by Professor Rasmus Nielson, of the University of California, USA, suggest that it is possible to help our ancestors adapt to new foods FADS1 and FSDS2 - enzymes involved in the digestion of fatty acids.

These genes are thought to help human ancestors adapt to a diet rich in marine and animal fat to other diets, allowing humans to be more flexible and are believed to be the secret to species ancestors. people can be widely distributed in Africa over a period of 60,000-80,000 years ago.

People with mutated genes can adapt to new foods, survive and give birth to babies.(Illustration).

"Through natural selection throughout human history, the FADS gene changes constantly, when the changed human diet is associated with hunting or cultivation practices. This gene changes in other ways. each other, in different parts of the world " - Professor Nielsen said.

"Probably because after leaving Africa, people have conditions for hunting larger mammals so their diet is richer in animal fat." And those who carry mutated genes can adapt to new foods, survive and give birth to babies, those who do not carry mutated FADS do not tolerate change and become extinct.

Scientists compared the FADS gene from 101 Bronze-era skeletons to this gene from modern Europeans, who found that the gene had changed to accommodate a predominantly cereal-based diet.

The research team believes that modern Europeans are still evolving to adapt to changes in diet high in plant fat, low in animal fat.