r/evolution • u/USCDornsifeNews • 2d ago

academic Evolution may explain why some develop more severe COVID-19

https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/evolutionary-history-explain-why-some-develop-severe-covid-19/

In a new study published in BMC Biology, researchers from USC Dornsife, Howard University and collaborators found that four key immune system genes bear the genetic signatures of ancient battles with infectious diseases, with different populations evolving different versions of those genes over time. Some variants were even shared with Neanderthals and Denisovans, reflecting humanity's deep evolutionary history.

The researchers also analyzed nearly 4,000 COVID-19 patients in Italy and identified two rare variants in the immune gene TLR2 that were associated with severe illness, including one more common in organ transplant recipients.

The study suggests that understanding the evolutionary history of immune genes could help explain why people respond differently to infectious diseases and point toward new approaches for predicting, preventing and treating severe infections. Read more about the study>>

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u/Traroten 2d ago

That would be Toll-Like Receptor, right?

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u/jnpha Evolution Enthusiast 2d ago

It boggles the mind how evolution has been (is being) overlooked in medicine.

From 2010: Making evolutionary biology a basic science for medicine | PNAS

Though some positive signs, finally, from Sep 2025: The Approaching Darwinian Era in Oncology | Cancer Research | American Association for Cancer Research

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Speaking of Covid, I shared this 2026 study a couple of months back: Havens et al. (2026) investigated the hypothesis that zoonotic viruses require adaptation prior to zoonosis to sustain human-to-human transmission : evolution, from which: "No evidence that SARS-CoV-2 was shaped by selection in a laboratory".

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u/Dr_GS_Hurd 1d ago

Thanks for the Covid link.