Homo erectus tuberculous

2008/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Turkey discovers the skull pieces of a human ancestor who lived 500,000 years ago. The characteristics indicate that they belonged to a Homo erectus. When analyzing it, moreover, it has been affected by tuberculosis. The skull presents characteristic traces of tuberculosis (tuberculous leptomeningitis) that attacks the skull. The discovery has surprised scientists. In fact, the oldest traces of tuberculosis were found in the Egyptian mummies, which are only a few thousand years old.