Genomic insights into natural selection in recent human history.

Recent advances in genomic methods and ancient DNA analysis have enhanced detection of natural selection signatures in human genomes over the past 10,000 years.

• Why it matters: Understanding the role of natural selection versus neutral processes in shaping human genetic diversity is crucial for interpreting human evolution and adaptation, yet current methods face challenges in accurately identifying selection signals.
• What they did: Researchers review recent methodological improvements, including ancestral recombination graph reconstruction and ancient DNA data, to assess their impact on detecting and interpreting selection signatures in human genomes.
• The result: These advances have increased the resolution of selection scans and provided new insights into human evolutionary processes, although consensus on interpretation remains limited.