Northern Europeans more prone to multiple sclerosis than other ancestries and now a study of ancient DNA hints at why. It seems to be a genetic legacy of horseback-riding cattle herders who swept into the region about 5,000 years ago. The findings come from a huge project to compare modern DNA with that culled from ancient humans’ teeth and bones. Scientists found a Bronze Age people called the Yamnaya carried gene variants that may have protected them from animal diseases but that today are known to increase MS risk. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
