Indigenous populations of the Americas experienced high mortality rates during the early
contact period as a result of infectious diseases, many of which were introduced by Europeans. …

The history of the British Isles and Ireland is characterized by multiple periods of major
cultural change, including the influential transformation after the end of Roman rule, which …

Dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) is prevalent in archaeological skeletal collections
and is a rich source of oral microbiome and host-derived ancient biomolecules. Recently, it …

The rise of ancient genomics has revolutionised our understanding of human prehistory but
this work depends on the availability of suitable samples. Here we present a complete …

The origin, development, and legacy of the enigmatic Etruscan civilization from the central
region of the Italian peninsula known as Etruria have been debated for centuries. Here we …

It has been hypothesized that the Neolithic transition towards an agricultural and pastoralist
economy facilitated the emergence of human-adapted pathogens. Here, we recovered eight …

Previous ancient DNA research has shown that Mycobacterium pinnipedii, which today causes
tuberculosis (TB) primarily in pinnipeds, infected human populations living in the coastal …

Background Although tuberculosis accounts for the highest mortality from a bacterial infection
on a global scale, questions persist regarding its origin. One hypothesis based on modern …

Mineralized dental plaque (calculus) has proven to be an excellent source of ancient
biomolecules. Here we present a Mycobacterium leprae genome (6.6-fold), the causative agent of …

Human populations have been shaped by catastrophes that may have left long-lasting
signatures in their genomes. One notable example is the second plague pandemic that entered …