Centuries-old cemetery points to colder climate as a factor in childhood vitamin D deficiency in industrial England
Children in 18th and 19th century England got sick with rickets at high rates, and most explanations point…
Ancient gut microbes link hunter-gatherers in Africa and forager-farmers in South America
Thousands of miles and an ocean separate the Tsimané of lowland Bolivia from the Hadza of Tanzania. Their…
Plague after the Black Death returned in waves across Europe for centuries, ancient DNA shows
The Black Death did not end plague in Europe. New ancient DNA research shows how Yersinia pestis returned…
Neanderthal pelvises challenge a long-held idea about childbirth and walking
For decades, scientists have used the human pelvis to study a basic question about our evolution: how did…
Ancient DNA reveals malaria killed the Medici brothers, not poison
A new DNA study of two Renaissance members of the Medici family has confirmed malaria, not poison, killed…
5,500-year-old plague outbreak killed Siberian hunter-gatherers, ancient DNA reveals
When most people think of plague, they picture medieval Europe, crowded streets, and rats carrying infected fleas. New…
DNA reveals rare dwarfism in teenager who lived in Italy 12,000 years ago
An international research team has confirmed the earliest known genetic diagnosis in an anatomically modern human, identifying a…
1,000-year-old Mesoamerican mummy from Mexico reveals ancient human gut microbiome
The remarkably well-preserved remains of a man who died in central Mexico around 1,000 years ago have revealed…