The Evolution of Malaria

by Christopher Paul on July 21, 2010

Just when we figured out how to better our lives with farming, Mother Nature has to go and knock us down a notch:

…using statistical modeling and DNA analysis, a group of researchers report in the journal Science that ancestors of humans first acquired the malaria parasite known as P. falciparum 2.5 million years ago. But, the researchers wrote, the parasite probably did not cause disease in humans until much more recently, perhaps 10,000 years ago at the beginning of agriculture.

Don’t worry, though, we’ve done enough damage to her over the last 100 years to make up for it.

Tracking the Evolution of Malaria – NY Times

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