Ortholog genes from cactophilic Drosophila provide insight into human adaptation to hallucinogenic cacti
Scientific Reports August 1, 2022 Julián Padró, Diego de Panis, Pierre Luisi et al. 5 citations
Shamanism, likely the oldest religion, has shaped human evolution through the use of psychoactive plants. In indigenous Andean populations with a long history of shamanic practices, genes involved in alkaloid tolerance, xenobiotic metabolism, and neuronal plasticity show signatures of recent positive selection. This was identified by first studying the cactophilic fly Drosophila buzzatii, which feeds on a hallucinogenic columnar cactus also consumed by humans, to find ortholog genes linked to alkaloid adaptation. The findings suggest a process of gene-culture coevolution driven by religious practices, indicating that cultural traditions like shamanism can leave genomic footprints.