Discovering human history from stomach bacteria.
Recent analyses of human pathogens have revealed that their evolutionary histories are congruent with the hypothesized pattern of ancient and modern human population migrations. Phylogenetic trees of strains of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and the polyoma JC virus taken from geographically diverse groups of human beings correlate closely with relationships of the populations in which they are found.
Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003, USA. todd.disotell@nyu.edu
Todd R
TR
Disotell
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005828:Genetics, Population; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology*
D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial