Where Does Autoimmune Diseases Come From?
Dr Neil paulvin Our genes evolved to fight ancient threats, but in the modern world, some of those changes may be turning against us By David Quammen David Quammen is a science journalist and author of 19 books. This piece is part of “Disease States,” his new series on evolution and disease. Evolution doesn’t have purposes, only results. Darwinian natural selection doesn’t shape creatures to be “better” or “higher” in some objective, transcendent sense — it shapes creatures to succeed in the here and now. And what works in one environment or period of time may prove harmful in another. Some scientists say this fact of evolution might help explain the origins of human autoimmune diseases. They are a bit mysterious, autoimmune diseases, but far from rare. They include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, lupus, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and possibly more than 100 others. Some of them cause misery, some discomfort and inconvenience and some can b...
