Read previewGenes that may have once helped ancient herders fight infectious parasites could contribute to autoimmune diseases today, like multiple sclerosis. For example, rates of MS are twice as high in the northwest of Europe, including in Scandinavia, compared to southern Europe. AdvertisementThey analyzed teeth and bones from Europe and Western Asia, adding to an ancient DNA database of about 1,600 genomes. Northern Europeans are also more susceptible to MS than in southern Europe, where Yamnayan ancestry is less common. AdvertisementFor some people, this inflammatory response can go overboard and start attacking the body's own cells, as with MS, Iversen said.

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Persons: —, it's, Rasmus Nielsen, Nielsen, Matthew Dunham NMB, immunologist Dr, Astrid Iversen, haven't, Iversen Organizations: Service, Business, University of Copenhagen, University of Cambridge, University of California, BBC Locations: Europe, Scandinavia, Western Asia, Berkeley, Northern