It focuses on the use of evolutionary knowledge to predict functional consequences of mutations found in personal genomes and populations.
This work has led to the discovery of thousands of disease-associated genes and genetic variants, elucidating a more robust picture of the amount and types of variations found within and between humans.
Fortunately, results from the natural experiment of molecular evolution are recorded in the genomes of humans and other living species.
All genomic variation is subjected to the process of natural selection which generally reduces mutations with negative effects on phenotype over time.
Consequently, phylomedicine has emerged as an important discipline at the intersection of molecular evolution and genomic medicine with a focus on understanding the inherited component of human disease and health.