Following the footprints of positive selection For decades, the
human genome could only tell us what we already suspected about
the evolution of certain traits. Researchers were able to trace
the genetic origin stories of lactose tolerance (as opposed to
lactose intolerance), malaria resistance, and more only after
observing these successful traits in specific populations. Now,
the study of positive selection – the ability to determine which
genetic changes have conferred an evolutionary advantage – has
reached a turning point: the genome itself can be used as a
starting point to guide scientists to important genetic
locations, leading to hypotheses about human health and disease.
In a paper published this week in Cell, researchers from the
Broad Institute, Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, and
elsewhere describe the tools and resources that have come
together to make this shift possible. Pardis Sabeti, a senior
associate member at the Broad and an associate professor at
Harvard, and Shari Grossman,