The things that scientist are finding that might help genealogists trace their family history! Wow. Lactose Intolerance Linked To Ancestral Environment. It seems that a new Cornell University study finds that it is primarily people “whose ancestors came from places where dairy herds could be raised safely and economically, such as in Europe, who have developed the ability to digest milk.”
Paul Sherman, of Cornell University says many people can’t digest because their ancestors lived in places where raising dairy cattle wasn’t safe or economical.On the other hand, most adults whose ancestors lived in very hot or very cold climates that couldn’t support dairy herding or in places where deadly diseases of cattle were present before 1900, such as in Africa and many parts of Asia, do not have the ability to digest milk after infancy.
According to the article, “The implication is that harsh climates and dangerous diseases negatively impact dairy herding and geographically restrict the availability of milk, and that humans have physiologically adapted to that.”
Here is one more piece of interesting information to add to your genealogical research.