ArticleMolecular biology and evolution2017
Soft Sweeps Are the Dominant Mode of Adaptation in the Human Genome.
Article in Molecular biology and evolution, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 115 papers.
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Who cites it
115 citing papers in PubMed, 207 citations in OpenAlex.
- Allelic gene conversion softens selective sweeps.Genetics · 2026Article
- Genomic insights into natural selection in recent human history.Nature reviews. Genetics · 2026Review
- Understanding Basic Concepts of Viral Quasispecies: From Evolutionary Dynamics to Clinical Relevance.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Evolution of the highest fidelity DNA replication systems.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Variable jackpot individuals provide most alleles for repeated, rapid adaptation to freshwater by anadromous Threespine Stickleback.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Rapid adaptive increase of amylase gene copy number in Indigenous Andeans.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Machine learning for evolutionary genetics and molecular evolution.Trends in genetics : TIG · 2026Review
- The persistence and loss of hard selective sweeps amid admixture in ancient Eurasians.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Genomic Signatures of Microgeographic Adaptation in Anopheles coluzzii Across Urban, Rural, and Forested Environments in Gabon.Molecular ecology · 2026Article
- Soft Selective Sweeps Predominate in the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti.Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Detecting Positive Selection by Modeling Structure Within Images of Genetic Variation.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Identifying Adaptive Footprints in the Presence of Demographic Uncertainty.Genome biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Rare jackpot individuals drive rapid adaptation in Threespine Stickleback.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Article
- Accessible, Realistic Genome Simulation with Selection Using stdpopsim.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- The persistence and loss of hard selective sweeps amid ancient human admixture.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Global impact of micronutrients in modern human evolution.American journal of human genetics · 2025Article
- Not by Selection Alone: Expanding the Scope of Gene-Culture Coevolution.Evolutionary anthropology · 2025Review
- Accessible, realistic genome simulation with selection using stdpopsim.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Pathways to Recovery: Genomics and Resistance Assays for Tree Species Devastated by the Myrtle Rust Pathogen.Molecular ecology · 2025Article
55 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The degree to which adaptation in recent human evolution shapes genetic variation remains controversial. This is in part due to the limited evidence in humans for classic "hard selective sweeps", wherein a novel beneficial mutation rapidly sweeps through a population to fixation. However, positive selection may often proceed via "soft sweeps" acting on mutations already present within a population. Here, we examine recent positive selection across six human populations using a powerful machine learning approach that is sensitive to both hard and soft sweeps. We found evidence that soft sweeps are widespread and account for the vast majority of recent human adaptation. Surprisingly, our results also suggest that linked positive selection affects patterns of variation across much of the genome, and may increase the frequencies of deleterious mutations. Our results also reveal insights into the role of sexual selection, cancer risk, and central nervous system development in recent human evolution.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.