Scientists Crack Medieval Bone Code

Two teams of Michigan State University researchers, one working at a medieval burial site in Albania, the other at a DNA lab in East Lansing, have shown how modern science can unlock the mysteries of the past.

www.sciencedaily.com...

The scientists are the first to confirm the existence of brucellosis, an infectious disease still prevalent today, in ancient skeletal remains.

The findings, which appear in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, suggest brucellosis has been endemic to Albania since at least the Middle Ages.

Todd Fenton, associate professor of anthropology, said advanced DNA testing at MSU allowed the researchers to confirm the existence of the disease in skeletons that were about 1,000 years old.

"For years, we had to hypothesize the cause of pathological conditions like this," Fenton said. "The era of DNA testing and the contributions that DNA can make to my work are really exciting."

By showing thru DNA how various diseases have effected people during the course of history, it reveals alot about how we humans have lived. In this case it shows that people were eating infected meat, unpasteurized dairy products, or came into contact with animals carrying the brucella bacteria. Another great example of science revealing our history.

Originally posted by isyeye

Two teams of Michigan State University researchers, one working at a medieval burial site in Albania, the other at a DNA lab in East Lansing, have shown how modern science can unlock the mysteries of the past.

www.sciencedaily.com...

The scientists are the first to confirm the existence of brucellosis, an infectious disease still prevalent today, in ancient skeletal remains.

The findings, which appear in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, suggest brucellosis has been endemic to Albania since at least the Middle Ages.

Todd Fenton, associate professor of anthropology, said advanced DNA testing at MSU allowed the researchers to confirm the existence of the disease in skeletons that were about 1,000 years old.

"For years, we had to hypothesize the cause of pathological conditions like this," Fenton said. "The era of DNA testing and the contributions that DNA can make to my work are really exciting."

By showing thru DNA how various diseases have effected people during the course of history, it reveals alot about how we humans have lived. In this case it shows that people were eating infected meat, unpasteurized dairy products, or came into contact with animals carrying the brucella bacteria. Another great example of science revealing our history.

From all I've read, I think the "dark ages" were a rebuilding time after the last world was destoyed.