* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Monday, September 1, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Erykah Badu Announces ‘Abi & Alan’ Album With The Alchemist Will Be Delayed – yahoo.com

    Erykah Badu Opens Up About the Delay of Her Highly Anticipated ‘Abi & Alan’ Album with The Alchemist

    If You Needed Some BTS Pics Of The Rock’s Tree Trunk Legs To Spice Up Your Day, We Got ‘Em – yahoo.com

    Need a Boost? Check Out These Epic BTS Shots of The Rock’s Tree Trunk Legs!

    Sabrina Carpenter’s pearl-clutching magic? Humor – CNN

    Sabrina Carpenter’s pearl-clutching magic? Humor – CNN

    South Park Is In Trouble And Needs To Change Course, Fast – yahoo.com

    South Park Faces Major Challenges and Must Adapt Fast to Survive

    ‘Netflix House’ entertainment complexes are coming. Here’s when they open – Los Angeles Times

    Exciting News: Netflix’s House Entertainment Complexes Are Opening Soon!

    ‘Big Brother’s’ Rylie Jeffries Finally Speaks Out on Katherine Woodman Controversy – El Paso Inc.

    Big Brother’s Rylie Jeffries Finally Speaks Out on Katherine Woodman Controversy

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Gator football kicks off with excitement and new technology – WCJB | TV20

    Gator Football Kicks Off with Thrilling Action and Innovative Technology

    Marvell Technology (MRVL) Loses 18.6% as Growth Outlook Fails to Impress – Yahoo Finance

    Marvell Technology (MRVL) Loses 18.6% as Growth Outlook Fails to Impress – Yahoo Finance

    Propelling solar technology into a perovskite future – CORDIS

    Propelling solar technology into a perovskite future – CORDIS

    13 Top Technology Trends (2025) – Exploding Topics

    13 Game-Changing Technology Trends to Watch in 2025

    Japan’s legacy LCD and chip technology find new home in India – Nikkei Asia

    How Japan’s Breakthrough LCD and Chip Technologies Are Driving Innovation in India

    ITSWC 2025: Thursday sessions guide – Traffic Technology Today

    Your Ultimate Guide to Thursday Sessions at ITSWC 2025

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Erykah Badu Announces ‘Abi & Alan’ Album With The Alchemist Will Be Delayed – yahoo.com

    Erykah Badu Opens Up About the Delay of Her Highly Anticipated ‘Abi & Alan’ Album with The Alchemist

    If You Needed Some BTS Pics Of The Rock’s Tree Trunk Legs To Spice Up Your Day, We Got ‘Em – yahoo.com

    Need a Boost? Check Out These Epic BTS Shots of The Rock’s Tree Trunk Legs!

    Sabrina Carpenter’s pearl-clutching magic? Humor – CNN

    Sabrina Carpenter’s pearl-clutching magic? Humor – CNN

    South Park Is In Trouble And Needs To Change Course, Fast – yahoo.com

    South Park Faces Major Challenges and Must Adapt Fast to Survive

    ‘Netflix House’ entertainment complexes are coming. Here’s when they open – Los Angeles Times

    Exciting News: Netflix’s House Entertainment Complexes Are Opening Soon!

    ‘Big Brother’s’ Rylie Jeffries Finally Speaks Out on Katherine Woodman Controversy – El Paso Inc.

    Big Brother’s Rylie Jeffries Finally Speaks Out on Katherine Woodman Controversy

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Gator football kicks off with excitement and new technology – WCJB | TV20

    Gator Football Kicks Off with Thrilling Action and Innovative Technology

    Marvell Technology (MRVL) Loses 18.6% as Growth Outlook Fails to Impress – Yahoo Finance

    Marvell Technology (MRVL) Loses 18.6% as Growth Outlook Fails to Impress – Yahoo Finance

    Propelling solar technology into a perovskite future – CORDIS

    Propelling solar technology into a perovskite future – CORDIS

    13 Top Technology Trends (2025) – Exploding Topics

    13 Game-Changing Technology Trends to Watch in 2025

    Japan’s legacy LCD and chip technology find new home in India – Nikkei Asia

    How Japan’s Breakthrough LCD and Chip Technologies Are Driving Innovation in India

    ITSWC 2025: Thursday sessions guide – Traffic Technology Today

    Your Ultimate Guide to Thursday Sessions at ITSWC 2025

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

Medieval Squirrels Served as First Ancient Hosts of Leprosy

May 3, 2024
in Science
Medieval Squirrels Served as First Ancient Hosts of Leprosy
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A bit of medical advice: Stay away from medieval squirrels. That’s what a study in Current Biology seems to suggest, anyway, after showing that red squirrels hosted strains of the leprosy bacteria Mycobacterium leprae in England’s Middle Ages.

“In the wake of COVID-19, animal hosts are now becoming a focus of attention for understanding disease appearance and persistence,” Inskip said in a statement. “Our research shows that there is a long history of zoonotic diseases, and they have had and continue to have a big impact on us.”

Read More: The Plague Has Infected Europeans For at Least 4,000 Years

Squirrel Spillover

Humans have a long history with leprosy, a devastating disease associated with nerve damage, paralysis, and disfigurement. Though treatable today, the limited leprosy treatments of the Middle Ages meant that the disease spread widely, despite being surprisingly difficult to transmit. As many as 10 to 40 percent of medieval Europeans showed signs of M. leprae infections at the time of their deaths, depending on when and where they were buried.

While scientists have studied the historical symptoms and the human-to-human spread of leprosy, also dubbed Hansen’s disease, they’ve struggled to determine whether M. leprae historically transferred between animal and human hosts. Though hints have been found that the bacteria have set up shop in squirrels as well as humans, for instance, those hints have been broadly understudied.

Hoping to pin down the truth of this squirrel-human transmission, Schuenemann and a team of researchers turned to the medieval city of Winchester in England. Their analysis of 12 squirrel samples and 25 human samples from the medieval city revealed four separate strains of M. leprae, including one strain from squirrels and three strains from humans. Their subsequent analysis of the four strains found that the infection bounced between red squirrels and humans in Winchester’s medieval hustle and bustle.

“The history of leprosy is far more complex than previously thought,” Schuenemann said in a statement. “There has been no consideration of the role that animals might have played in the transmission and spread of the disease in the past, and as such, our understanding of leprosy’s history is incomplete until these hosts are considered.”

Read More: Scientists Reveal the Black Death’s Origin Story

Hopping From Squirrel to Human

Recreating the genomes of the four medieval strains of M. leprae and reconstructing their genetic relationships, the team found that the strains belonged to the same familial branch of M. leprae bacteria. The team also found that the squirrel strain from the Middle Ages shared more similarities with the human strains from the Middle Ages than modern squirrel strains. This suggests that the infection once spread between medieval squirrels and humans.

“Our findings highlight the importance of involving archaeological material, in particular animal remains, into studying the long-term zoonotic potential of this disease, as only a direct comparison of ancient human and animal strains allows reconstructions of potential transmission events across time,” said Sarah Inskip, another study author and a researcher in the school of archaeology and ancient history at the University of Leicester, in a statement.

According to the team, wild squirrels were trapped throughout the Middle Ages and harvested as a source of fur or housed as household pets. In particular, Winchester had a high population of furriers and fur traders, as well as a high prevalence of leprosy in its leprosarium, making it the perfect place to study spillovers of the disease.

“With our genetic analysis, we were able to identify red squirrels as the first ancient animal host of leprosy,” said Verena Schuenemann, a senior study author and a professor of archeological sciences at the University of Basel, in a statement. “Our results point to an independent circulation of M. leprae strains between humans and red squirrels during the Medieval Period.”

Read More: Zoonotic Diseases That Have Been Transferred to Humans

Article Sources:

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review them for accuracy and trustworthiness. Review the sources used below for this article:

Current Biology. Ancient Mycobacterium Leprae Genome Reveals Medieval English Red Squirrels as Animal Leprosy Host

Eurekalert. In Medieval England, Leprosy Spread Between Red Squirrels and People, Genome Evidence Shows

Le Infezioni in Medicina. Mycobacterium Leprae: A Historical Study on the Origins of Leprosy and its Social Stigma

Contagion. Contagion and Leprosy: Myth, Ideas and Evolution in Medieval Minds and Societies

Anthropologischer Anzqiger. Leprosy in Medieval Denmark Osteological and Epidemiological Analyses

American Journal of Biological Anthropology. Leprosy in the Early Medieval Lauchheim Community

The Social Science Journal. People with Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) During the Middle Ages

Science. Red Squirrels in the British Isles Are Infected with Leprosy Bacilli

Sam Walters is a journalist covering archaeology, paleontology, ecology and evolution for Discover, along with an assortment of other topics. Before joining the Discover team as an assistant editor in 2022, Sam studied journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Discover Magazine – https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/medieval-squirrels-served-as-first-ancient-hosts-of-leprosy

Tags: medievalscienceSquirrels
Previous Post

It May be Possible to Power Implantable Generators with Our Bodies

Next Post

Boeing’s Starliner Is About To Launch

Large reductions in tropical bird abundance attributable to heat extreme intensification – Nature

Dramatic Decline in Tropical Bird Populations Linked to Intensifying Heat Extremes

August 31, 2025
Science Notes: Tracing the origins of the Bedale Hoard – the-past.com

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Enigmatic Bedale Hoard

August 31, 2025
Diagnostic dilemma: Rare condition made a woman see people as dragons – Live Science

When Reality Shifts: A Woman’s Rare Condition Made Her See People as Dragons

August 31, 2025
8 Lifestyle Changes To Reverse Fatty Liver Naturally – iDiva

8 Life-Changing Habits to Naturally Reverse Fatty Liver and Boost Your Health

August 31, 2025
Gator football kicks off with excitement and new technology – WCJB | TV20

Gator Football Kicks Off with Thrilling Action and Innovative Technology

August 31, 2025
The 3 most memorable Olympico clashes in history 🔥 – Yahoo Sports

The 3 Most Unforgettable Olympico Showdowns in History That Will Leave You Speechless 🔥

August 31, 2025
While Trump Rattles the World, China Basks in the Limelight – The Wall Street Journal

While Trump Rattles the World, China Basks in the Limelight – The Wall Street Journal

August 31, 2025

Economists Raise Red Flags: Alarming Warning Signs Emerge Across the Economy

August 31, 2025
Erykah Badu Announces ‘Abi & Alan’ Album With The Alchemist Will Be Delayed – yahoo.com

Erykah Badu Opens Up About the Delay of Her Highly Anticipated ‘Abi & Alan’ Album with The Alchemist

August 31, 2025
Coach Prime 2.0: What’s next for Deion and the Buffaloes – ESPN

Coach Prime 2.0: What’s Next for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes?

August 31, 2025

Categories

Archives

August 2025
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (800)
  • Economy (818)
  • Entertainment (21,698)
  • General (16,782)
  • Health (9,859)
  • Lifestyle (833)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (820)
  • Politics (826)
  • Science (16,029)
  • Sports (21,317)
  • Technology (15,799)
  • World (799)

Recent News

Large reductions in tropical bird abundance attributable to heat extreme intensification – Nature

Dramatic Decline in Tropical Bird Populations Linked to Intensifying Heat Extremes

August 31, 2025
Science Notes: Tracing the origins of the Bedale Hoard – the-past.com

Unlocking the Mysteries of the Enigmatic Bedale Hoard

August 31, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version