Recent Evolution Shapes Modern Disease Risks

A large ancient‑DNA scan finds hundreds of genetic variants that rose or fell in frequency in the last 10,000 years, including variants tied to celiac disease, type 2 diabetes risk, and behaviors. These shifts mean some common modern illnesses and behavioral predispositions reflect very recent natural selection, not just contemporary environment or culture. — If many disease‑linked alleles changed rapidly in the Holocene, public health, medical genetics and social policy must account for evolution as an active driver of current population health patterns.