African lactase persistence variants
Variantes africanas de la persistencia de la lactasa
- Date
- 2007 · confidence high
- Place
- Rift Valley, Nakuru, Kenya
- Credited to
- Sarah Tishkoff and colleagues
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Tishkoff found in herders of Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan their own genetic variants (−14010C, −13915G, −13907G) that keep lactase active in adulthood, distinct from the European one. It is a classic example of convergent evolution linked to pastoralism.
The data come from samples in several countries; a representative place is given. The −14010C mutation is from Kenyan and Tanzanian herders.
What it led to
- gene-culture coevolution
- the genetic basis of milk tolerance
- studies of the pastoral expansion in East Africa