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Special Gene Protected Earliest Migrants to Eurasia from Cold Weather
New research has shed light on how prehistoric humans survived the cold after migrating from Africa to various parts of Europe and Asia starting at least 70,000 years ago. In a fascinating study just published in the journal Life Metabolism, a team of Chinese genetic scientists explain how a special gene variant offers extra protection from the cold to humans who possess it, increasing their capacity to live in even the most extreme northern climates.
This variant of the fat-storing FTO gene, which carries the scientific label ‘rs1421085 T>C,’ is unique because of its impact on the metabolism of a person’s brown fat cells. When the human body is exposed to cold conditions this FTO variant accelerates the process of converting potential energy to internal heat in these cells, thereby helping to regulate body temperature and keep a person safe in frigid conditions.
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