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In medieval England, leprosy spread btwn red squirrels/people, genome evidence
- HPsquared 2y agoPropaganda spread by grey squirrels!
- mojomark 2y agoI blame those gnomes.
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- xeromal 2y ago[flagged]
- wglb 2y agoTtl lngth cnstrnts
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- pdevr 2y agoAs far as I understand it, they used 25 human and 12 squirrel samples. Comparison was done among medieval red squirrel strains, medieval human strains, and modern red squirrel strains. Finding: medieval red squirrel strains were closer to medieval human strains than to modern red squirrel strains. Inference: In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people. Problem with the inference: If they used modern human strains too and then compared them all, it would have been a complete study. Are modern red squirrel strains closer to modern human strains than to medieval red squirrel strains? What kind of differences are there? Is it that they evolved independently from medieval times to modern times and thus appear different? Lots of questions are unanswered.
- verisimi 2y agoNot only that, but is it really the case that genetic material survives for 600 years? Can we really say, 'we know that these 12 samples are from red squirrels 600 years ago'? > "With our genetic analysis we were able to identify red squirrels as the first ancient animal host of leprosy," says senior author Verena Schuenemann of the University of Basel in Switzerland.
- surfingdino 2y agoYes, it can https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685887/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685887/
- verisimi 2y agoThank you for the link. > However, under favorable environmental conditions, for example when tissues are frozen or become desiccated quickly after death, these processes become inhibited before the complete destruction of all DNA endogenous to the organism. Do you think there are 12 red squirrels in Winchester that were frozen or desiccated 600 years ago?
- surfingdino 2y agoWhile Brexit has not improved food quality in Britain, I'm sure some well-preserved dead squirrels remain in the area. Also, Winchester is not that far from the Isle of Wight, one of the red squirrel strongholds https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/where_to_see_red_squirrels https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/where_to_see_red_squirrels
- verisimi 2y agoI'm out and about all the time, walking, I go to various places, and yet hardly ever find any signs of dead animals. Most recently I have saw a dead dear (roadkill), and it has now decomposed pretty completely after 2 months. I don't see how 1 red squirrel dies 600 years ago, and we still have its remains today, nevermind 12 of them! All from Winchester!