A comprehensive paleogenetic study of remains from the Volga Basin, dating to approximately 9,000 BCE, has uncovered the earliest evidence of genetic selection for innate immunity against northern forest viral pathogens. By sequencing the DNA of thirteen individuals, researchers found a high frequency of alleles in the IFN-gamma pathway, which provides enhanced protection against mosquito-borne and tick-borne viruses endemic to the dense woodlands of the Eurasian taiga.
This study, published in The American Journal of Biological Anthropology, suggests that the expansion of human populations into the northern latitudes after the last glacial maximum was facilitated by rapid evolutionary adaptations to new pathogen landscapes. These findings reshape our understanding of the biological costs and requirements of early human migration into the European interior.