UTMB News

Neanderthals also got zoonotic diseases

Neanderthals also got zoonotic diseases

The Galveston County Daily News, May 3, 2022

Even 40,000 years ago, we have evidence of diseases from animals affecting our ancient human cousins. The “Old Man of La Chapelle,” a partially fossilized Neanderthal skeleton discovered in a cave in central France in 1908, continues to provide new insights. New analysis suggests that he acquired an infection from butchering animals or preparing raw meat.