Archaeologists have faced challenges in acquiring full genomes from oral bacteria for years, but two ancient teeth found in Ireland have now helped fill in the history of oral health.
Dental problems have tormented humans for ages, but the recent discovery and analysis of two 4,000-year-old teeth reveal how the bacteria populating our mouths have changed over time. The teeth, found in a limestone cave in Killuragh, County Limerick, Ireland, along with other skeletal remains, have helped researchers piece together a timeline of oral health.
“These strains from a single ancient mouth were more genetically different from one another than any pair of modern strains in our dataset, despite these modern samples deriving from Europe, Japan, and the USA,” says, a Ph.D. candidate and first author of the study. “This is interesting because a loss of biodiversity can have negative impacts on the oral environment and human health.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Canton murder-suicide: 20-year-old woman killed by 21-year-old gunman, police sayThe Canton Police Department confirmed the shooting that claimed the life of a 20-year-old woman is being investigated as a murder-suicide after the 21-year-old gunman turned the gun on himself.
Read more »
27-year-old man indicted for 16-year-old girl's murder in RochesterRochester, N.Y. — The man accused of killing a 16-year-old girl who went missing last summer has been indicted.
Read more »
13-year-old charged with manslaughter for 15-year-old's death in RochesterA 13-year-old boy is charged after police determined he shot and killed a 15-year-old friend while they were playing with a gun earlier this year.Police respond
Read more »
89-year-old man, 87-year-old woman killed in house explosion, fire: 'Complete devastation''The whole lot was just completely leveled,' a witness said.
Read more »
Truck fatally strikes 8-year-old boy, injures 10-year-old brother, in Queens: NYPDTruck fatally strikes 8-year-old boy, injures 10-year-old brother, in Queens: NYPD
Read more »
50-year-old cold case: Murder of 16-year-old high school student solved, authorities sayA second suspect was identified in connection to the murder of a 16-year-old high school student from Maryland who went missing more than 50 years ago.
Read more »