The next Club EvMed Conversations will take place:
Tuesday, December 16th at noon EST
presented by Amanda Lea
with moderation by Cynthia Beall
Past adaptation and present day health
Understanding how ​past genetic adaptations shape contemporary human health is a central focus in evolutionary medicine. In this talk, I will present recent research with the Turkana of Kenya, a population traditionally practicing pastoralism in arid environments. Using whole genome sequencing, we identified several genomic regions under selection in the Turkana and other nearby groups, including variants near the kidney-expressed gene STC1. Using several biological follow up experiments, we also built evidence that this gene putatively contributes to water balance and homeostasis. Finally, I will discuss ongoing work to understand how rapid shifts from the environment in which this population recently evolved to more urban, market-integrated lifestyles impacts health, offering a broader view of how local adaptation and rapid environmental change interact.
See related article, “Adaptations to water stress and pastoralism in the Turkana of northwest Kenya“
We look forward to a robust discussion following the talk – please join us!
REGISTER HERE! for this discussion on December 16.
Future Club EvMed Conversations will feature work presented by:
- Camila Scaff, Thursday, January 29th, 2026 at noon EST
- Trevor Graham, Thursday, February 5th, 2026 at noon EST
