Researchers found a GSDMC variant in horses surged from ~1% to nearly 100% about 4,200–3,500 years ago, reshaping vertebrae and coordination to make riding feasible. An earlier shift at ZFPM1 likely calmed temperament first. The sweep’s speed outpaces classic human examples like lactase persistence, showing cultural demand (war/transport) can drive extreme selection in domesticates.
— It highlights how culture can trigger fast biological change, sharpening debates on domestication, human history, and the timescales on which selection can act.
Aporia
2025.10.17
92% relevant
The roundup cites Liu et al. finding strong selection signals at ZFPM1 (~5,000 years ago) and GSDMC (~4,750 years ago) in horses, mirroring the existing idea that calm temperament and vertebral/anatomical changes underwent rapid sweeps that enabled riding and transformed human mobility.
CD Davidson-Hiers
2025.10.02
92% relevant
The Science paper cited (lead author Xuexue Liu) identifies the same key loci—GSDMC (spinal anatomy/motor coordination) and ZFPM1 (temperament)—that the existing idea highlights as sweeping 4,200–3,500 years ago, providing concrete timing and mechanism for how horses became rideable and fast, accelerating human societal change.
Isegoria
2025.08.29
100% relevant
The Science study reported by Xuexue Liu and Ludovic Orlando documenting GSDMC’s sweep and ZFPM1 selection signals in ancient horse genomes.