Neanderthals may have died of diseases carried by humans from Africa

New research challenges the idea that the spread of infectious diseases exploded as agriculture evolved 8,000 years agoDiseases and infections passed on by the ancestors of modern humans when they moved out of Africa and into Europe may have helped wipe out the Neanderthals who previously dominated the continent.The unfortunate Neanderthals, who would only have developed resistance to the diseases of their European environment, are most likely to have been infected with a bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, the virus that causes genital herpes, tapeworms and tuberculosis. Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Neanderthals Anthropology Evolution Biology Science UK news Infectious diseases Medical research Microbiology Genetics Source Type: news