19 - Evolution and Human Health

antibiotic

select for antibiotic resistance, chemicals that
specifically disrupt prokaryote biochemical processes
– i.e., they kill bacteria but not
animals

antibody

receptors that bind to & tag foreign molecules

antigen

triggers immune response

antigenic site

parts recognized by antibodies

B cell

mature in bone marrow, secrete specific antibodies

T cell

move from bone to thymus, some detect & kill infected cells, others help activate other lymphocytes

hemagglutinin

important protein on outer surface
• binds to host cell to initiate infection
• the primary protein that is recognized by the host immune system

lymphocyte

some white blood cells with enhanced response to infections the body has previously encountered

myopia

a heritable disorder that occurs at high frequency in some modern populations, nearsightedness

overdominance

carriers (heterozygotes) favored by heterozygote advantage

Describe how the evolution of our pathogens impacts human health

Our immune system selects for pathogens that evade our immune system

Describe how human health is affected by the differences between our ancestral and
modern environments

ex: myopia selected against in hunter-gatherer societies, ancestors didn’t have selection pressure

ex: sickle-cell disease: misshaped red blood cells, carriers have higher malaria resistance