People with peanut allergies know how difficult it is to avoid being around products that contain peanuts.
Kissing someone who has eaten chocolate bars, cereals, fried foods and even something with peanuts can cause an allergic reaction.
But why are humans allergic?
We know that there is a cause for these types of allergies. We know why your throat closes, why it is difficult to breathe when you eat or inhale something you are allergic to, and why you get swollen if you are bitten or bitten by certain insects.
It all started when our ancestors came in contact with Neanderthals thousands of years ago.
There is a very probable cause for humans to develop allergies throughout. It comes down to our ancestors who had sex with Neanderthals 40,000 years ago.
In a 2014 study by genetic firm 23andMe, it was believed that all non-Africans carry one to six percent of their DNA through Neanderthals, especially since three genes in this DNA may be responsible for over-sensitive immune systems that make us allergic. .
But a 2016 study American Journal of Human Genetics It was found that 2 percent of the DNA of most people may have come from sexual contact between humans and Neanderthals.
A 2014 study found that carriers of these three genes are more likely to develop hay fever, asthma and other allergies.
Researchers believe the genes were transmitted when pioneers left Africa had sex with Neanderthals living in Eurasia. Since Neanderthals have lived in this area for over 200,000 years, their immune systems are adaptable to any new infections.
Janet Kelso, a leading researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said: “A small group of modern humans leaving Africa may not have much genetic variation. . “
Researchers looked at the genes of modern humans to see if there was DNA by Neanderthals; Then they saw the commonality among people all over the world.
They found that two of the three immune system genes were closely matched to this DNA.
In addition to making you allergic, a 2016 study found that the Neanderthal part of your DNA can actually help fight disease.
Geneticists from Neanderthals believe that there is a group of genes in our DNA, which is the first line against the dangerous pathogens that enter our body, and these genes also affect people with allergies.
Janet Kelso, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, said “increased resistance to bacterial infections may be positive, but some sensitivity to non-bacterial allergens may have increased.”
These genes establish an innate immunity to the pathogens that invade our body.
The innate immune response is the first line our body holds against disease. Usually, it kills germs before we even realize we are sick.
Since the Neanderthals introduced this answer into human DNA, it has long survived due to natural selection and the idea of optimal survival.
Therefore, those who are not killed by the disease and have an innate immune system are able to reproduce and pass on the genes. That is why we still see the rearrangement of genes by Neanderthals in modern people.
If you have developed allergies in your lifetime, your ancestors should thank you for it.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published in January 2016 and is updated with the latest information
Samantha Maphosi is the author of Yuwartango, who has written hundreds of articles on relationships, popular news and entertainment and astrology. See his author profile for more content.