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Scientists discover oldest known human viruses in 50,000-year-old Neanderthal remains
(archaeologymag.com)
Their search targeted remnants of three types of DNA viruses: adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus. Astonishingly, traces of all three viruses were found, marking them as the oldest human viruses ever discovered, surpassing even those previously identified in 31,600-year-old Homo sapiens remains.
This discovery suggests that Neanderthals may have been afflicted with the same viruses that affect modern humans today.