New research shows that malaria pushed early human populations away from high-risk areas in sub-Saharan Africa over the past 74,000 years. This fragmentation influenced genetic diversity and population structures. The study highlights disease as a key evolutionary force alongside climate.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Cambridge analyzed malaria transmission risks from 74,000 to 5,000 years ago. Using species distribution models for mosquito complexes, paleoclimate data, and epidemiological information, they mapped high-risk zones in sub-Saharan Africa. Humans consistently avoided these areas, leading to separated groups that interbred less frequently. This dynamic contributed to modern patterns of human genetic diversity, as detailed in a study published in Science Advances with DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aea2316. Dr. Margherita Colucci, lead author from the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and the University of Cambridge, explained: 'We used species distribution models of three major mosquito complexes together with paleoclimate models. Combining these with epidemiological data allowed us to estimate malaria transmission risk across sub-Saharan Africa.' The findings challenge traditional views that climate alone dictated early human distributions. Professor Andrea Manica of the University of Cambridge noted: 'The effects of these choices shaped human demography for the last 74,000 years, and likely much earlier. By fragmenting human societies across the landscape, malaria contributed to the population structure we see today.' Professor Eleanor Scerri of the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology added that the research 'opens up new frontiers in research on human evolution' by emphasizing disease's role in prehistory.