I think Gizmodo might have just taken the crown for best archaeopop headline ever. Via New Scientist.
Scientists may have found one of the keys to weight loss hiding in the poop of 3,000-year-old mummies. The bacterial DNA found in their guts is very different from our modern intestinal flora.So they're going to start treating obesity with archaeological bacteria from mummies? Sign me up!
The reason: chlorinated water and antibiotics.
That's the first hypothesis of Dr. Cecil Lewis. According to Lewis—who is leading a team of scientist hunting for bacterial DNA samples in mummy guts and cave soil across North and South America—these two factors "fundamentally changed human microbiomes."
Lewis believes that "the association between antibiotics and obesity is important to explore." Indeed, there's already research that indicates a link between the use of these medicines and obesity.
So the secret to fight obesity may go through the recuperation of these 3,000-year-old bacteria. We don't know yet, however. According to Lewis "it's too early to tell if it's a good idea to repopulate our guts with bacteria. But it's certainly an important idea that requires investigation."
|THE DOCTOR IS IN!!!!!!|