News Genetics

Ancient DNA tests the notion that allergies are due to our dirtier past

Some genes passed down over millennia actually reduce a signal linked to allergic inflammation

Ancient DNA might explain a bit about modern allergies, respresented here by a box of tissues in front of a blue background

An analysis of ancient DNA challenges the hypothesis that today's allergies can be chalked up to immune systems accustomed to a pathogen-rich past.

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By Elie Dolgin

Genes for immunity forged in a germ-filled past are often blamed for making our bodies overreact to harmless triggers such as pollen or food.