Analysis of a shin bone found in a rock cave in Colombia suggests the sexually transmitted disease is much older than ...

Researchers have reconstructed ancient herpesvirus genomes from Iron Age and medieval Europeans, revealing that HHV-6 has been infecting humans for at least 2,500 years. Some people inherited the ...

Learn how ancient DNA from human remains revealed that syphilis circulated in the Americas thousands of years earlier than ...

A previously unknown strain of syphilis bacteria has been discovered in human remains in Colombia, dating back 5,500 years.

Researchers recovered ancient DNA from a 5,500-year-old skeleton in Colombia and reconstructed a genome related to Treponema pallidum. The lineage predates known syphilis strains by ~3,000 years, ...

Scientists have decoded the world’s oldest human DNA sequence, beating the previous record by almost 300,000 years, and at the same time confusing what we know of our early relatives. Published in ...

Russell has a PhD in the history of medicine, violence, and colonialism. His research has explored topics including ethics, science governance, and medical involvement in violent contexts. Russell has ...

The study of ancient DNA has revolutionised our understanding of human history, enabling scientists to decipher complex population dynamics over tens of thousands of years. By analysing genetic ...