Humans Haven't Stopped Evolving
Yet many scientists believed that, during the same time frame, human DNA hadn’t changed much. Using the largest collection of ancient human DNA samples ever compiled, paired with new statistical methods, Reich and his colleagues discovered that the human genome has actually evolved rapidly during the past 10,000 years. The study, published in Nature in April, showed hundreds of genetic shifts in 16,000 individuals who lived in modern-day Europe across an 18,000-year period.
- ▪Yet many scientists believed that, during the same time frame, human DNA hadn’t changed much.
- ▪Using the largest collection of ancient human DNA samples ever compiled, paired with new statistical methods, Reich and his colleagues discovered that the human genome has actually evolved rapidly during the past 10,000 years.
- ▪The study, published in Nature in April, showed hundreds of genetic shifts in 16,000 individuals who lived in modern-day Europe across an 18,000-year period.
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Research | June 10, 2026 Humans Haven’t Stopped Evolving Harvard scientists identify hundreds of genes under selective pressure. by Monique Brouillette From The July-August 2026 Issue Illustration by Luisa Jung const trinityScript = document.createElement('script'); trinityScript.src = 'https://trinitymedia.ai/player/trinity/2900016010/?pageURL=' + encodeURIComponent(window.location.href); trinityScript.async = true; document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(trinityScript, document.currentScript); During the last 50,000 years, human beings have transformed from nomadic hunter-gatherers roaming savannas to a species that traveled to the moon, invented the internet, and created an artificial form of intelligence.
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