Prehistoric DNA of ancient Europeans reveals why we suffer from multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s

Groundbreaking conclusions have been drawn by scientists analyzing fossilized DNA stored in the world’s largest bank of prehistoric human genes. It turns out that neurodegenerative diseases “arrived” in Europe with the migration of pastoral peoples 5,000 years ago.

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These astonishing findings were revealed in four pioneering scientific articles published in the prestigious journal “Nature.” The discovery was made possible through the analysis of data collected in a unique gene bank created by the scientific community over the past 5 years.

Bones and teeth of almost 5,000 ancient people, stored in museum collections in Europe and Asia, were examined. The exhibits ranged from the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Viking era to the Middle Ages. The oldest specimens were 34,000 years old. Ancient DNA was compared to that of contemporary individuals, including 400,000 people living in the UK.

Where did the genes related to multiple sclerosis come from?