A new study has identified a potential case of Paget’s disease in the bones of a 298 million year old lizard-like animal. The results come from a study of two fused tail vertebrae recovered from a fossilised cave system in Richards Spur, Oklahoma, USA. Today Paget’s disease is a relatively rare condition, which mainly effects... Continue Reading →
Syphilis: New World or Old?
Earlier this month the discovery of a 700 year old skeleton showing signs of congenital syphilis was announced by the Medical University of Vienna. Although this might not sound immediately controversial the skeleton itself comes from St Pölten in Austria and that is unusual because syphilis was thought to have been imported to Europe from... Continue Reading →
American Drugs in Ancient Egyptian Mummies?
It seems safe to say that as long as there have been humans on planet Earth they have been using psychoactive substances. Today most people use at least one kind of drug every day, be it medicinal, illegal, caffeine, nicotine or the all time favourite - alcohol. In fact the use of drugs by ancient... Continue Reading →