Here’s a breakdown of the key details from the provided text:
* Ancient HPV Discovery: Researchers have found evidence of HPV16,a cancer-linked strain of the human papillomavirus,in the remains of two prehistoric individuals: Ötzi the Iceman (5,300 years old) and a Siberian man (45,000 years old).
* Long-Term Coexistence: This discovery suggests that HPV16 has been associated with humans for a very long time – potentially before major human population splits out of Africa (50,000-60,000 years ago). This challenges the idea that these viruses are recent pathogens.
* Individuals Studied:
* Ötzi the Iceman: A well-preserved mummy found in the Alps, providing a wealth of information about prehistoric life.
* Ust’-Ishim Man: Remains discovered in Siberia, yielding one of the oldest fully sequenced modern human genomes.
* Methodology: Researchers re-analyzed existing genome sequencing data from these individuals, searching for DNA fragments matching known HPV genomes.
* Significance: the findings indicate that oncogenic (cancer-causing) human papillomaviruses have likely evolved alongside humans and primates for a very long period.
