HGT causes Human Adaptation without Darwin


Here is a summary of the paper "Widespread of horizontal gene transfer in the human genome":

  • Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the transfer of genetic material between different species. It is thought to be more common in prokaryotes than in eukaryotes, but there is evidence that it also occurs in humans.

  • The authors of this paper used a computational approach to identify regions of the human genome that are more conserved with non-mammals than with most mammals. They found that 1,467 human genome regions (2.6 M bases) met this criteria.

  • These regions involve 642 known genes, which are enriched with ion binding. Compared to known horizontal gene transfer regions in the human genome, there were few overlapping regions, which indicated that HGT is more common than we expected in the human genome.

  • The authors concluded that their findings provide insight into potential mechanisms of HGT in the human genome. They also suggest that HGT may have played a role in the evolution of some human traits, such as the ability to digest lactose.

Here are some additional details from the paper:

  • The authors used a method called "pairwise alignments" to compare the human genome to the genomes of 53 other vertebrate species. This allowed them to identify regions of the human genome that are more similar to non-mammals than to most mammals.

  • The 642 known genes that are found in these regions are involved in a variety of functions, including ion binding, metabolism, and cell signaling.

  • The authors suggest that HGT may have played a role in the evolution of some human traits, such as the ability to digest lactose. Lactose intolerance is common in adults who are not of European descent, but it is rare in people of European descent. This suggests that a gene for lactose digestion may have been transferred from another species to the human genome at some point in the past.

Overall, the findings of this paper suggest that HGT is more common in the human genome than we previously thought. This has implications for our understanding of human evolution and the development of new treatments for diseases.

Here is a summary of the non-Darwinian implications of the widespread horizontal gene transfer in the human genome:

  • Horizontal gene transfer challenges the notion of a linear evolutionary tree. In traditional Darwinian evolution, species evolve independently from each other, with new traits being passed down from parents to offspring. However, horizontal gene transfer can introduce new genetic material into a species from another species, bypassing the need for vertical transmission. This means that the evolutionary tree of life is not as linear as once thought, and that species can share genes with each other even if they are not closely related.

  • Horizontal gene transfer can accelerate evolution. New genes can be introduced into a species through horizontal gene transfer, which can give that species a selective advantage over other species. This can lead to rapid evolutionary change, as the species adapts to its new environment.

  • Horizontal gene transfer can explain the origin of some complex traits. Some complex traits, such as the ability to digest lactose, are thought to have arisen through horizontal gene transfer. This suggests that horizontal gene transfer can play a role in the evolution of complex traits, even in multicellular organisms.

Overall, the widespread horizontal gene transfer in the human genome has important implications for our understanding of evolution. It challenges the traditional view of a linear evolutionary tree, and suggests that horizontal gene transfer can accelerate evolution and play a role in the origin of complex traits.

Here are some additional resources that you may find helpful:

  • Horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of eukaryotes: https://www.nature.com/articles/nrg2386

  • Horizontal gene transfer in the human genome: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5379729/



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