Tracing teeth troubles with fossil bacteria

Ed Yong has a great account today of some research from Alan Cooper's lab on the oral microbiome in pre-agricultural and post-agricultural Europeans: "Prehistoric Plaque and the Gentrification of Europe’s Mouth". The hunter-gatherers had a diverse array of bacteria including several groups that are associated with good health. That fits with the relative absence of tooth decay or gum disease among modern or prehistoric hunter-gatherers. “They were at the end of a long period of happy […]