Living in close quarters without access to antibiotics may seem like a nightmare scenario, yet for much of human history and prehistory, it was a reality. A groundbreaking international study, coordinated from the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Stockholm, delves into the microbial landscape of the Stone Age in Scandinavia, shedding light on the microbial communities that thrived during this era.
The study examines a variety of microbes present during the Stone Age, including those typically found in healthy individuals as well as those that likely caused pain and illness. Among the pathogens identified are Neisseria meningitidis, which spreads through close contact such as kissing, Yersinia enterocolitica, often transmitted through contaminated food and water, and Salmonella enterica, a common cause of food poisoning.
Nora Bergfeldt, from the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University, notes the significance of these findings: “The discovery of Salmonella enterica in a Battle Axe culture burial site in Linköping raises intriguing possibilities. It's conceivable that we're witnessing instances where bacterial infections proved fatal, highlighting the challenges our ancestors faced without access to modern antibiotics.”
The study screened 38 individuals from both farming and hunter-gatherer contexts across Scandinavia, ranging from sites in southern Norway dating back 9500 years to locations in Sweden approximately 4500 years old. By analyzing microbial DNA extracted from human remains, researchers were able to trace the presence of bacterial diseases throughout the Scandinavian Stone Age.
Helena Malmström, from the Human Evolution Program at Uppsala University, emphasizes the significance of understanding how lifestyle changes, such as the transition from hunting-gathering to farming, may have influenced human health during this period: “While the shift to farming brought about increased interactions among individuals, potentially facilitating the spread of infectious diseases, it's the foodborne infections that appear most prevalent across different lifestyles in our study.”
Anders Götherström, leading the research project, highlights the unprecedented opportunities afforded by this study: “Exploring the microbial landscape of prehistoric societies offers a remarkable glimpse into a previously inaccessible aspect of our past. As we continue to uncover the complexities of ancient microbial communities, we gain valuable insights into the challenges and adaptations that shaped human history.”
As researchers continue to unravel the mysteries of the microbial world of our ancestors, this study underscores the resilience and ingenuity of early human populations in the face of microbial threats, while also highlighting the critical role of modern science in understanding our shared history.
The research is published Nature.