Emily is a health news writer based in London, United Kingdom. She holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Durham University and a master's degree in clinical and therapeutic neuroscience from Oxford University. She has worked in science communication, medical writing and as a local news reporter while undertaking journalism training.
Neanderthals who lived 50,000 years ago were infected with three viruses that still affect modern humans today, researchers have discovered.
In this way, they showed that our closest, now-extinct relatives could be infected with three common, modern human viruses: a type of adenovirus, a herpesvirus and a papillomavirus. The researchers behind the new study say the findings provide physical evidence to support the theory that viruses may have played a role in the demise of the Neanderthals, who went extinct around 40,000 years ago. The findings, published Tuesday to the preprint server bioRxiv, have not yet been peer-reviewed.
"This discovery not only expands our understanding of viral evolution and disease throughout human history, but may also open avenues for the development of new medical approaches, especially with regard to vaccines and antiviral treatments," co-senior study author Marcelo Briones, a professor of bioinformatics at the Federal University of São Paulo in Brazil, said in a statement.
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.
Archaeologists unveil face of Neanderthal woman 75,000 years after she died: 'High stakes 3D jigsaw puzzle'Shanidar Z's skull — thought to be the best preserved Neanderthal find this century — 'was as flat as a pizza,' experts said.
Read more »
Hundreds of Ohio college students protest Israel-Hamas warOhio State University, Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, Ohio University, Miami University and Denison University have all had campus protests the past couple of weeks.
Read more »
Melbourne University, Melbourne (AU) job with University of Melbourne & Peter MacCallum Cancer CentrePostdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Cell Cycle Biology and Cancer Epigenetics The Goel Lab at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and The University of Melbourne is seeking applications for a postdoctoral research scientist.
Read more »
Faculty Recruitment, Westlake University School of Medicine - Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China job with Westlake UniversityFounded in 2018, Westlake University is a new type of non-profit research-oriented university in Hangzhou, China, supported by public and private funding.
Read more »
Southeast University Future Technology Institute Recruitment Notice - Nanjing, Jiangsu (CN) job with Southeast UniversityIntroduction to the Institute: Southeast University is one of the first 12 units in the country to establish a Future Technology Institute and is an important part of China's New Engineering 2.0 Plan.
Read more »
Faculty Positions in School of Engineering, Westlake University - Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China job with Westlake UniversityAbout us Founded in 2018, Westlake University is a new type of non-profit research-oriented university in Hangzhou, China, supported by public and private funding.
Read more »