A large proportion of East Asian people carry unique versions of the lactase gene that enables humans to digest the sugars in milk, new research hints.
These genetic variants were likely inherited from humans' extinct cousins, the Neanderthals, tens of thousands of years ago, according to a study published Mar. 10 in the journal PNAS. And it may be that the variants offered an evolutionary advantage by helping early hunter-gatherers thwart infections, new data suggest.
