General Information Quiz

A shift from hunting, gathering, and foraging to intensive farming, leading to increased food production, storage, and population density. This transformation is marked by changes in social structure, property ownership, and task specialization.

The move to a more limited diet focused on specific crops like grains led to nutritional deficiencies, including poor dental health and a decline in dietary diversity.

Living in close proximity with domesticated animals and poor sanitation practices in early agricultural societies contributed to increased chances of disease transmission.

Stable isotopes in human remains provide insights into past diets, allowing researchers to analyze the chemical composition of food intake and understand changes in dietary patterns over time.

The reliance on specific grains in early agriculture led to nutritional deficiencies, particularly in protein, iron, and essential vitamins.

Porotic hyperostosis is a skeletal condition characterized by porous and expanded bones, often a symptom of anemia, which is a deficiency in red blood cells.

The exact reasons for the shift to agriculture remain partly unresolved but likely involve a combination of factors, including climate change, adaptations of plants and animals, and local resources and knowledge.

The increased population density and competition for resources, arising from a sedentary lifestyle, likely contributed to higher rates of interpersonal violence in early agricultural societies.

The process of humans controlling and modifying an animal species for specific purposes, typically for resources or services. This includes managing their behavior, nutrition, reproduction, and movement.

Domestication provides advantages for both humans and animals. Humans gain access to resources like food, labor, and protection, while animals benefit from healthcare, safety from predators, controlled population growth, and better nutrition.

Domestication occurs through a gradual, multi-step process starting with taming young animals and then managing groups, selectively breeding desirable traits, and integrating animals into society.

Evidence of domestication is found in animal demographics, physical changes, genetic variations, disease patterns, and signs of human care, indicating distinct differences from wild populations.

Domesticated animals often develop osteoarthritis at a younger age than their wild counterparts due to the increased physical stress imposed by humans.

Multiple animal species were domesticated during similar periods, suggesting a shared human need or opportunity.

A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, potentially spreading back to animals or evolving into human-only strains.

Animals can act as vectors (carriers) and reservoirs (sources) for various pathogens and parasites, playing a crucial role in disease transmission.

The unique bacterial community found in dental calculus, distinct from dentine and carious dentine. Calculus harbors more bacteria from human oral studies while dentine shows correlation with soil and burial environmental DNA.

Calculus contains a diverse mix of components beyond bacteria, including human and plant DNA, archaea, bacteriophage, and eukaryotic DNA. This reflects the complex interaction of the host, diet, and oral environment.

Bacteria found in calculus that can cause infections under certain conditions, but often remain dormant and asymptomatic in the host.

Calculus can reveal major periodontal pathogens, indicating past dental health issues such as inflammation, alveolar resorption, and periodontal osteoporosis.

Studying ancient DNA in calculus allows researchers to compare ancient bacterial strains with modern ones, revealing virulence factors acquired through evolution.

The presence of human secretory proteins in calculus indicates the host's immune response to bacterial presence. These proteins, especially from neutrophils, are linked to the innate immune system.

Calculus can be analyzed for food-derived components like connective tissue, plant photolytes, starch granules, and milk proteins, providing insights into ancient diets.

The presence of milk proteins like beta-lactic globulin in calculus helps track the spread of dairying through time and geographic regions.

Smallpox likely originated in Egypt or the Near East, spreading to Europe and the Americas. The zoonotic jump event, though not confirmed, is potentially linked to gerbilles or camels.

The Roman Empire experienced the first major smallpox pandemic, known as the Antonine Plague. This led to smallpox becoming endemic in the Old World, causing seasonal and regional outbreaks.

Smallpox reached the Americas with early European settlements and trade routes. It spread rapidly, causing major outbreaks. There is evidence that smallpox was intentionally spread during the European colonization of the Americas.

The European slave trade to the Americas contributed to the spread of smallpox. The enslaved people, with weakened immune systems, were more susceptible to infection and disease transmission.

Bioarchaeology utilizes skeletal remains to explore the history of smallpox. However, osteological changes in individuals who contracted smallpox are limited.

Latent TB is a state where the bacteria is encapsulated in the body, preventing infection spread. It is not contagious or symptomatic and does not cause illness but can reactivate in a weakened immune system.

Tuberculosis primarily spreads through the air when a person with active TB coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. It can also be ingested through contaminated food or milk.

Active TB symptoms include prolonged cough, chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, fever, chills, appetite loss, and coughing up blood.

Risk factors include overcrowding, poor ventilation, lack of sunlight, malnutrition, and vitamin D deficiency. Individuals working with animals or consuming unpasteurized milk are also at higher risk.

Pott's Disease is a type of skeletal TB that affects the spine. It involves the breakdown of vertebrae from lytic lesions that cause kyphosis, a curvature of the spine.

Skeletal TB can leave visible changes on bones, providing evidence of infection in archaeological remains. It offers insights into past health and disease patterns, despite limited information on the prevalence of TB in general.

TB primarily targets oxygenated areas of the body, including spongy bone, intervertebral discs, and the growth plates of long bones. It leads to lytic lesions (bone destruction).

Vitamin D plays a critical role in immune function and bone health. Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of TB infection and susceptibility to the disease.

A safer alternative to smallpox inoculation using cowpox, a related virus that causes a milder disease. It still exposed the body to the same genus but with reduced risks.

Viruses recovered from ancient remains, such as permafrost, capable of being reanimated. These resurrected viruses pose a potential threat as they can potentially infect humans and spread diseases.

Tuberculosis was viewed differently by social classes. The lower classes saw it as a common disease, while the upper classes romanticized it, linking it to the Virgin Mary. This difference in perception affected treatment and disclosure practices.

A specialized care facility for chronic infectious diseases like tuberculosis. These institutions played a key role in the development of understanding and treating tuberculosis.

A group of bacterial infections caused by Mycobacterium species, including tuberculosis and leprosy. These infections are often chronic and can be difficult to treat.

A chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. It is characterized by skin lesions and nerve damage and can be contracted from infected humans or their animal reservoirs.

A highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It primarily affects the lungs but can spread to other organs. Transmission occurs through inhaling droplets expelled by infected individuals.

Animals like cattle, camelids, seals, deer, and other primates can harbor Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains specific to their species. These strains can be transmitted to humans, making those animals potential reservoirs.