The European Natural Selection

Researchers have found the remains of Europeans who existed from 3,000 to 8,500 years ago. Each fossil suggests that many populations underwent changes in their genetic code, which researchers suggested as the European's "Natural Selection." With the use of 230 human fossils across that time frame, researchers found 12 spots of the human genome where this natural selection may have occurred. They believed that the inception of farming had much to do with these changes in the human genome.

The green circles are where the hunter gatherers were.
The blue circle is where the European farmers existed.
The red circle is where the Eurasian steppe population existed.

Northern Europeans have strong genetic linkage to nomadic Europeans who existed 4,500 years ago in the Eurasian steppe. Both of these groups have the trait of being very tall. In contrast, Southern Europeans were shorter, which was most likely because they started farming. Since they were required to remain in one place and handle sedentary work, the Southern Europeans would not have to pass down the genes that express the trait of being tall. They also developed lighter skin in order to efficiently absorb more sunlight from their work environment, and produce Vitamin D. The nomadic Europeans did not require light skin because the food that they hunted for provided all the Vitamin D that they required. Their newly developed genes enabled them to develop new enzymes that could metabolize fat and circulate Vitamin D. More research is being performed, but the present research brings much promise for understanding the ancestors of many Europeans.

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