Ancient steppe herders brought higher risk of MS to northern Europe

Study of ancient DNA shows bronze age Yamnaya people spread gene variants that carry increased risk of multiple sclerosis

Ancient DNA helps explain why northern Europeans have a higher risk of multiple sclerosis than other ancestries: the disease is a genetic legacy of horseback-riding cattle herders who swept into the region about 5,000 years ago.

The findings come from a huge project to compare modern DNA with that culled from ancient humans’ teeth and bones – allowing scientists to trace prehistoric migration and disease-linked genes that tagged along.

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