KRISHNA RAMANUJAN WRITES IN THE CORNELL CHRONICLE:
As the Earth’s human population has skyrocketed since the rise of agriculture some 10,000 years ago — to 7 billion people from a few million — so, too, has the number of rare genetic variants.
Since about 2,000 years ago (fewer than 100 generations), the human population has experienced an explosive growth after 8,000 years of moderate exponential growth.
This recent accelerated growth has created more genetic mutations and rare gene variants, which may play a role in boosting the risks of complex diseases in which genes play a role, say Cornell researchers in the May 11 issue of the journal Science. READ MORE.