From genes to latrines: Vikings and their worms provide clues to emphysema
Thursday, February 4, 2016 - 11:16
in Paleontology & Archaeology
The key to an inherited deficiency, predisposing people to emphysema and other lung conditions, could lie in their Viking roots. Archaeological excavations of Viking latrine pits in Denmark have revealed that these populations suffered massive worm infestations. The way that their genes developed to protect their vital organs from disease caused by worms has become the inherited trait which can now lead to lung disease in smokers.