When did humans start getting the common cold?

Most people catch the common cold at least once a year, making the seasonal sniffles a staple of the human experience. But when in Homo sapiens' history did people first start catching the common cold?

"Living in close proximity to animals is a surefire way to be exposed to new viruses and to get the repeated exposure that could result in it becoming a human endemic virus," Joel Wertheim, an evolutionary virologist at the University of California, San Diego, told Live Science. Usually, when an animal virus jumps into humans, it fails to establish an infection because it's not adapted to its new host.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.But not all scientists agree with this hypothesis. Excavating ancient cold viruses"Illness due to the common cold doesn't preserve very well," Wertheim said. These viruses normally leave signs of an infection in soft tissues, such as the lungs, which waste away after death, rather than in the hardy bones and teeth that persist.

Balloux and van Dorp have searched for ancient viruses in human teeth from an excavation in Siberia. In an unreviewed paper that was posted to bioRxiv, they reported finding two ancient genomes for a DNA virus called human adenovirus C, which can cause cold symptoms. The researchers estimate that the viruses' last common ancestor dated back approximately 700,000 years — likely long before Homo sapiens emerged.

Education Education Latest News, Education Education Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Protesters Interrupt Nancy Pelosi Speech at Oxford University VisitSource of breaking news and analysis, insightful commentary and original reporting, curated and written specifically for the new generation of independent and conservative thinkers.
Source: BreitbartNews - 🏆 610. / 51 Read more »

Chemicals that make babies smell sweet and teens smell 'goat-like' revealedKamal Nahas is a freelance contributor based in Oxford, U.K. His work has appeared in New Scientist, Science and The Scientist, among other outlets, and he mainly covers research on evolution, health and technology. He holds a PhD in pathology from the University of Cambridge and a master's degree in immunology from the University of Oxford.
Source: LiveScience - 🏆 538. / 51 Read more »

Pro-Palestinian protestors at Portland State University broke into and occupying university libraryThe Portland Police Bureau hosted a press conference late Monday night to address pro-Palestinian protests at the Portland State University campus.
Source: KENS5 - 🏆 608. / 51 Read more »

Top Israeli university offering spots to Jews who don’t feel safe on university campusesAntisemitic rhetoric on college campuses has prompted a top Israeli university to offer Jewish students and faculty spots if they feel unsafe at their school.
Source: dcexaminer - 🏆 6. / 94 Read more »

Provost at Missouri university appointed new Indiana State University president, school saysIndiana State University officials say a provost at a Missouri university has been appointed the new president of the western Indiana school. School officials announced Friday that Dr. Michael “Mike” Godard will become ISU’s president on June 1, replacing current President Deborah J.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Emory University denounces pro-Palestine encampment protest: 'Disrupting the university'The university said Thursday the 'activists' who started the encampment were not 'recognized' as part of the Emory community.
Source: 13WHAM - 🏆 256. / 63 Read more »