When scientists initially found a louse egg on an ancient human hair, they realized that head lice have actually itched human scalps for more than 10,000 years.1 Alejandra Perotti, senior lecturer in the biological sciences department at the University of Reading, recently found an unforeseen advantage of these pesky insects. Louse cement glues human nuclei in place and protects them in timeWhen analyzing the ancient Argentinian mummies DNA extracted from the nit cement, Perottis team obtained some important insights into how ancient humans settled and migrated in South America. When she compared the ancient Argentinian louse DNA to their database, she discovered that they most carefully matched lice from the north of the Amazon.
When researchers initially found a louse egg on an ancient human hair, they recognized that head lice have itched human scalps for more than 10,000 years.1 Alejandra Perotti, senior lecturer in the biological sciences department at the University of Reading, recently discovered an unforeseen advantage of these pesky bugs. In a study released in Molecular Biology and Evolution, Perotti revealed that the glue that connects louse eggs, or nits, to hair maintained human DNA for more than 2,000 years, allowing her team to evaluate mummies genetics without disrupting their remains.2 She used this nondestructive technique to track the migratory paths of ancient humans through South America. Louse cement glues human nuclei in location and maintains them in timeWhen analyzing the ancient Argentinian mummies DNA drawn out from the nit cement, Perottis group gleaned some crucial insights into how ancient human beings migrated and settled in South America.”Perotti next examined louse DNA from the eggs to check whether they informed the same migratory story as that of the humans whose DNA they assisted maintain. When she compared the ancient Argentinian louse DNA to their database, she found that they most carefully matched lice from the north of the Amazon.