Tag Archives: bacteria

The Black Death Dates Back to Neolithic Times

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A plague doctor from 14th century Europe

Archaeologists have found the body of a 20 year old woman who lived in the neolithic times (5,500 years ago) in a large Swedish grave. They found a strain of the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis along her teeth. This was the oldest recorded track of plague bacteria. This strand of bacteria caused pneumonic plague which is much more severe than the bubonic plague that hit Europe in the 14th century.

Other records show that contemporary strains of the plague were found in areas of Ukraine and Romania. During the neolithic era, these areas were densely populated, unsanitary, and in close contact with animals. As a result, the breeding of pathogens contributed to the sudden decline of those populations. The plague rapidly spread in the area of Eurasia 5,700 years back via trade. This lead to a rapid decline in the area called the neolithic decline.

As the population of Europe declined, new groups of people migrated into the region and completely changed the genetic makeup of what Europeans are today.

 

 

 

 

source: https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)31464-8

Probiotics Can be Bad for You

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https://www.target.com/p/digestive-advantage-probiotic-gummies-60ct/-/A-14288991

 

Probiotics are the bacteria found in our intestines used to break down and separate foods in order to get the nutrients to our body. This type of bacteria is beneficial and essential for our bodies. We all naturally obtain probiotics before and after birth. We also get probiotics from yogurt and special supplements. Many people think probiotic supplements are healthy if taken moderately; however, recent studies have shown they can actually be bad for you.

Using a new technology called organ-on-a-chip, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have found that probiotics can be detrimental to a person’s body if they have inflammation in their intestines (gut inflammation). Organ-on-a-chip is a microchip lined with cell tissue. It is able to perform the same functions as the organ it is modeling but in a controlled environment. In this case, the organ is the intestine. The engineers who made the chip found that probiotics had a harmful effect when the gut barrier was compromised. They found that the probiotics that have a positive effect in the intestine have a negative effect when they reach other parts of the body. This was the first organ-on-a-chip model that showed how a disease develops in an organ. Researchers plan to make other customized organ-on-a-chip models that show the development of other intestinal diseases such as colorectal cancer.

Sources:

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20181025/Probiotics-can-cause-more-harm-than-good-when-gut-barrier-is-damaged.aspx