Research report 2018 - Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
The long-term effects of the Neolithic transition to agriculture on our microbiomes
Ley, Ruth E.
Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Tübingen
SummaryThe transition to a sedentary lifestyle with agriculture and livestock breeding during the Neolithic left genetic traces. Scientists at the Department of Microbiome Science have found that differences between people at the level of genes involved in starch and milk metabolism play an important role in the composition of the microbiome in the intestine. The recent adaptation of humans to new eating habits has led to genetic variations which are still reflected today in differences in modern microbiomes.