Ancient teeth trace the history of epidemics

Paleogenomics, which studies DNA in remnants of ancient teeth, has been looking at how humanity’s first encounter with disease is thousands of years older than originally thought. The growing evidence suggests that the first epidemics forced change onto societies. “In the case of covid-19 we see similar processes, but we are watching it unfold in real time,” said Anne Stone, professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University.
