Follow
'Another implication of their study is that our ancestors enjoyed a malaria-free existence right up until the neolithic transition 10,000 years ago when, coincident with the shift from nomadic to agrarian lifestyles, Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the deadliest form of human malaria, mutated to target Neu5Ac so abundantly present on human cells. It is thought that our more agricultural lifestyle made humans more vulnerable to the malaria-carrying mosquitoes that bred in stagnant pools near settlements.'
