Evolutionary biomedicine: genetic pathologies as selection agents in three model systems

我们的环境正在以前所未有的速度变化，如果生物不能足够快地进化，就会导致它们“不适应”——也就是说，它们的基因和它们进化的环境之间会出现不匹配。人类是最极端的例子；现代社会的不适应提高了患癌症、心脏病和心理障碍的风险（例如，焦虑可能是为了帮助逃避捕食者而进化出来的）。我汇集了两个研究领域，旨在解释导致适应不良的原因——生殖医学和进化生物学。这项研究的结果将帮助我们更好地了解遗传疾病，未来的健康危害，并预测灭绝的危险因素。

Our environment is changing at a rate never seen before, rendering organisms 'maladapted' if they cannot evolve quickly enough - that is, there will be a mismatch between their genes and the environment in which they evolved. Humans are the most extreme example; maladaptation in modern society elevates risk of cancer, heart disease and psychological disorders (e.g., anxiety probably evolved to help escape predators). I bring together two research areas that aim to explain what causes maladaptation - reproductive medicine and evolutionary biology. Results from this research will help us better understand genetic disease, future health hazards, and predict risk factors of extinction.