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Health News Results - 29
Remains Show Prehistoric Peoples Cared for Those With Down Syndrome
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- February 21, 2024
- Full Page
Rare gene-driven defects such as Down syndrome have occurred among human beings for many thousands of years, a new analysis of ancient DNA has revealed.
Not only did the birth defects exist, but these infants were often buried with care by their community. That suggests ...
Contrary to Popular Belief, 1918 Flu Did Not Target the Healthy Young
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- October 10, 2023
- Full Page
It has long been believed that the 1918 flu pandemic disproportionately affected healthy young adults, but a study of human remains tells a different story.
Together, Canadian and American researchers found that preexisting medical conditions like asthma and lower i...
Did Vlad the Impaler, Inspiration for Dracula, Shed Tears of Blood?
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 18, 2023
- Full Page
The 15th century prince who inspired the literary vampire Dracula may have had medical issues that caused him to cry tears of blood, according to researchers unearthing this ancient mystery.
The prince, who was also a military leader, was known as Vlad III, Voivode of Wa...
Parasites Plagued Ancient Reptiles 200 Million Years Ago
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 10, 2023
- Full Page
Scientists have found evidence of ancient parasites preserved in the dung of an aquatic predator from more than 200 million years ago.
The ancient predator -- believed to be an extinct crocodile-like reptile called a phytosaur -- was infected with nematodes and multiple ...
Biotech Company Settles With Family of Henrietta Lacks, Whose Cells Revolutionized Medicine
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- August 1, 2023
- Full Page
Cervical cells from Henrietta Lacks, a cancer patient who died more than 70 years ago, are a cornerstone of modern medicine, but her family has never been compensated for the cells taken without her ...
From a Lock of Hair, Beethoven's Genome Gives Clues to Health, Family
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- March 22, 2023
- Full Page
Genetic analysis of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair has provided new clues into the cause of the great composer's death in 1827 — as well as evidence of a family scandal.
The analysis revealed that Beethoven suffered from a hepatitis B infection that could have contributed...
Study Pushes Back Smallpox Origins Another 2,000 Years
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- January 11, 2023
- Full Page
While the origins of smallpox has remained a mystery for centuries, researchers now believe that it dates back 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Until recently, the earliest genetic evidence of smallpox, the variola virus, was from the 1600s. And in 2020, rese...
Special Human-Cat Bond May Have Started 10,000 Years Ago
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- December 8, 2022
- Full Page
That special link you may have with a purring, four-legged friend has been going on between the species for millennia, new research shows.
The human-cat relationship was probably forged over a shared interest in rats more than 10,000 years ago, investigators say. As farm...
400-Year-Old Mummy Reveals a Nobleman's Child, Kept From the Sun
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- October 26, 2022
- Full Page
A “virtual autopsy” of a mummified 17th century Austrian infant has shed new light on Renaissance childhood — as well as the importance of vitamin D to health.
The researchers use...
Archaeologists Discover Evidence of Surgical Amputation Performed 30,000 Years Ago
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 12, 2022
- Full Page
Skeletal remains of a young adult discovered in a remote cave in Borneo appear to be the oldest known case of surgical amputation.
Australian and Indonesian researchers estimate the bones are at least 31,000 years old. It appears that the young adult lost his foot and lo...
Pious Parasites: Medieval Monks Battled Nasty Gut Germs
- By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- August 19, 2022
- Full Page
Medieval monks were much more wormy than average folks, a new archaeological analysis has revealed.
Those living in medieval Cambridge were nearly twice as likely to be infected by
Prehistoric People Drank Animal Milk, Despite Lactose Intolerance
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- July 27, 2022
- Full Page
Researchers have long suspected that humans evolved to tolerate dairy products in order to reap their health benefits. Now a new study refutes that idea.
Around one-third of the world's population possesses a gut enzyme that allows them to digest lactose, a sugar in milk...
Scientists Pinpoint Origins of the Black Death
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- June 15, 2022
- Full Page
A centuries-old mystery as to the origins of the Black Death has been solved, according to an international team of scientists.
They said the plague pandemic that killed up to 60% of people in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa in the mid-1300s originated in cen...
Middle Ages Misery: Medieval Shoe Trend Brought Bunions
- Cara Murez
- June 11, 2021
- Full Page
Suffering for fashion is nothing new. Researchers in the United Kingdom have unearthed new evidence that stylish pointed shoes caused a "plague" of bunions in the late medieval period.
Investigators from the University of Cambridge analyzed 177 skeletons from cemeteries...
Humans Started Loving Carbs a Very Long Time Ago
- Cara Murez
- May 12, 2021
- Full Page
Not only have humans and their ancient ancestors been eating carbs for longer than was realized, but a new study finds these starchy foods may actually have played a part in the growth of the human brain.
A new study researching the history of the human oral microbiome ...
Cancers Far More Common in Medieval Times Than Thought
- Cara Murez
- April 30, 2021
- Full Page
Cancer might seem like a modern problem, but new research has revealed that it affected up to 14% of adults in medieval Britain.
University of Cambridge researchers used X-rays and CT scans to search for evidence of cancer inside skeletal remains excavated as part of an ...
'Birthing Girdle' Shows Traces of Medieval Women in Labor
- Cara Murez
- March 12, 2021
- Full Page
In medieval Europe, when childbirth was highly perilous for both mother and child, women and those caring for them used various talismans to try to influence a safe delivery.
Not many of those relics have survived, but scientists have been studying one -- a parchment "bi...
Modern Medicine Unwraps Mystery of Ancient Mummy's Death
- Cara Murez
- February 25, 2021
- Full Page
Modern technology has unraveled an ancient mystery about the death of an Egyptian king.
Computed tomography (CT) scans of the mummified remains of Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II, the Brave, revealed new details about his head injuries not previously found in examinations since...
In Medieval Times, Plagues 'Sped Up' With Each New Outbreak
- Cara Roberts Murez
- October 19, 2020
- Full Page
Medieval plague outbreaks in England picked up frightening speed in the 17th century, Canadian researchers report.
Their analysis of historical documents covering 300 years showed that outbreaks of the plague doubled every 11 days in London during the 1600s, compared...
Skeletons May Put Blame on Vikings for Smallpox' Spread
- Steven Reinberg
- July 24, 2020
- Full Page
The Vikings had smallpox and may have spread it wherever they ventured, scientists report.
That conclusion stems from an examination of teeth from 1,400-year-old Viking skeletons that contained extinct strains of smallpox. The genetic structure of those strains diff...
Success of Smallpox Vaccine Bears Lessons for Coronavirus Vaccine
- Robert Preidt
- July 21, 2020
- Full Page
Scientists who have identified the early smallpox strains used to create vaccines against the disease say this type of genetic research could help efforts to develop a vaccine against the new coronavirus.
Smallpox was among the most dangerous viral diseases in human ...
Leonardo's 'Vitruvian Man' Ideal Isn't Far Off Modern Measures
- E.J. Mundell
- June 10, 2020
- Full Page
More than five centuries ago, Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci produced a now-famous image of what he considered the perfectly proportioned male body: the "Vitruvian Man."
The drawing was inspired by even earlier pondering on the perfect human form by first-centu...
We've Been Here Before: Lessons From the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
- Alan Mozes
- April 20, 2020
- Full Page
The virus struck swiftly, stoking panic, fear and mistrust as it sickened millions and killed thousands -- and now, more than a century later, the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic offers lasting lessons for a world in the grip of COVID-19.
"The questions they asked then ar...
Making the Mummy Speak -- Or at Least Make a Sound
- E.J. Mundell
- January 24, 2020
- Full Page
Nesyamun, an Egyptian priest who chanted hymns at the grand temple of Karnak in Thebes 3,000 years ago, has been allowed to speak once more.
Well, maybe not speak in full sentences: A British team has re-created the mummified Nesyamun's throat using 3-D technology, a...
Vesuvius Eruption Turned One Ancient Resident's Brain Into Glass
- Dennis Thompson
- January 22, 2020
- Full Page
The cataclysmic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. created temperatures so hot that one poor soul's brain was transformed into glass, researchers report.
Archaeologists working at the site of Herculaneum -- the other city wiped out in the eruption, alongside Pompe...
A Medical Insight in Michelangelo's David, 'Hiding in Plain Sight'
- E.J. Mundell
- December 26, 2019
- Full Page
Michelangelo's David is perhaps the world's most famous statue, gazed upon by millions over centuries.
And yet it's only this year that an American doctor has spotted an anatomical insight made by the artist -- one that's passed without notice on David for more than ...
Leonardo da Vinci May Have Had ADHD
- Robert Preidt
- May 24, 2019
- Full Page
Leonardo da Vinci's legendary struggles to complete projects suggest he may have had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a British researcher says.
That's the latest in a series of attempts to understand the genius and work habits of an inventor and arti...
New Theory Sheds Light on Leonardo da Vinci's Artistic Decline
- Robert Preidt
- May 6, 2019
- Full Page
A fainting-related fall that caused nerve damage in his right hand could explain why Leonardo da Vinci's painting skills declined later in life, a new paper suggests.
The report, published as the world marks the 500th anniversary of the artist's death, contradicts th...
Was Dyslexia the Secret to Leonardo da Vinci's Greatness?
- Robert Preidt
- May 2, 2019
- Full Page
Leonardo da Vinci was an atrocious speller, a sure sign of dyslexia, but it's possible that very disorder fueled his genius, a researcher says.
May 2 marks the 500th anniversary of the death of da Vinci, an inventor and artist regarded by many as the most creative pe...