It's in the Cheese

From Cory Doctorow, writing on Twitter:

Spent the morning reviewing Lennox, et al's fascinating work on the linked genetic mutations that allowed early hominids to synthesize Vitamin D in the weak sunlight of northern latitudes.

It turns out that these mutations are linked to the critical shifts that allowed us to break down proteins in cow's milk.

The most remarkable finding was that these genes moved laterally from microorganisms found in cultured dairy!

It's really true, then. Swede genes ARE made of cheese!

He doesn't provide a link to the research, however, and my quick search didn't find it. So I'm trusting his reporting enough to repeat it.