One jump from gorillas to humans – the origin of malaria

Several million years ago, Plasmodium falciparum – the parasite that causes most cases of human malaria – jumped into humans from other apes. We’ve known as much for decades but for all this time, we’ve pinned the blame on the wrong species. A new study reveals that malaria is not, as previously thought, a disease that came from chimpanzees; instead it’s an unwanted gift from gorillas. Until now, the idea of chimps as the source of human malaria seemed like a done deal. Just last year, I covered a study which said that a related chimp parasite called Plasmodium reichenowi is the ancestor of P.falciparum. According to Stephen Rich from the University of Massachussetts, P.reichenowi crossed the species barrier from chimps to humans just once in history – a defining moment that gave rise to P.falciparum. But to Weimin Liu from the University of Alabama, something wasn’t quite right. People ...