David Reich – Why the Bronze Age was an inflection point in human evolution
Summary
Dwarkesh Patel interviews Harvard geneticist David Reich about a new study using ancient DNA to track biological changes over the last 18,000 years. Reich explains that while migration drives most genetic shifts, natural selection has been rampant, particularly during the Bronze Age. The research reveals intensified selection on immune and metabolic traits, as well as genetic predictors for intelligence and schooling, challenging the view that human evolution has been quiescent.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Ancient DNA and human history
Natural selection vs. migration and drift
Detecting selection on immune and metabolic traits
Selection on lactase persistence and diet
Selection on intelligence and schooling
Evolutionary trade-offs and complex traits
Population size, innovation, and the Bronze Age
Neanderthal interbreeding and Y chromosomes
Mitochondrial DNA and sex-biased processes
Methodology: Statistical detection of selection
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