The word “coronavirus” has become commonplace around the world over the past 1.5 years thanks to the devastating effects of the ongoing pandemic. Infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a form of the coronavirus, has claimed over 3.5 million lives and infected billions.
Now, new research has revealed that the region now known as East Asia was hit by a coronavirus epidemic nearly 20,000 years ago. The severity of this epidemic was strong enough to leave its mark on the human genome and support its development.
The research was published in the journal Current Biology and carried out by experts from Australia and the United States.
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To understand past epidemics and their effects on humans, the researchers examined the genomes of nearly 2,500 people from 26 different populations around the world.
Their analysis found that around 20,000 years ago, people living in what is now East Asia interacted with the coronavirus. According to a report on CNN, this was the human genome’s earliest interaction with coronavirus, and that interaction was strong enough to leave some “genetic mark on the DNA of modern people in East Asia.”
Yassine Souilmi, co-author of the study, said the genomes they examined contain evolutionary information about humans that can be traced back hundreds of thousands of years.
“Viruses work by making copies of themselves. However, they don’t have their own tools to do the replication. So they actually depend on a host, and so they invade a host and then hijack their machines to get copies of . create yourself, “Souilmi was quoted as saying by CNN.
It is this “kidnapping” of human cells by the virus that can leave traces in the genome.
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The study’s authors say that thanks to advances in technology, it is now possible to observe these markings, and the analysis has provided “concrete evidence” that humans were once exposed to and adapted to coronavirus.
When analyzing the genomes, the researchers found that these genetic signals, which indicate previous exposure and adaptation to coronavirus, were found in people from five population groups in China, Japan and Vietnam.
However, this does not necessarily mean that the coronavirus epidemic that broke out 20,000 years ago was limited to these three countries.
Souilmi says it is possible that the epidemic could spread elsewhere, but data to support it are not currently available.
“From these populations, Souilmi said, the researchers found that one affected group developed a beneficial mutation that helped protect them from the coronavirus. Those with the mutation had a survival advantage, he said – meaning that over time the population consisted of more people with the mutation than without, “CNN reported.
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Commenting on the effects of this exposure and the adaptability of people to it, Souilmi said, “Over a long period of time and during exposure, it leaves a very, very clear mark in the genome of their offspring.”
Meanwhile, evolutionary biologist Dr. David Enard of the University of Arizona, who led the study, said in a warning to the New York Times (NYT) that these results “should be of concern to us.”
“What is happening now could last for generations,” he was quoted by NYT as saying.
In their report on the study, NYT said the researchers estimated that the genes of people exposed to the coronavirus in East Asia developed their antiviral mutations between 20,000 and 25,000 years ago. This development most likely happened over the course of a few centuries.
“It is a surprising finding since East Asians did not live in dense communities at the time, but formed small groups of hunters and gatherers,” the report said.
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