History Lessons from Bacteria

Microbes have been catapulted into the spotlight again by recent studies showing that uniquely modern phenomena, like jet lag and artificial sweeteners, can affect health by altering the microbiome (Suez et al., 2014; Thaiss et al., 2014). However, even as the nature of our current relationship with bacteria unfolds, DNA sequencing and proteomic approaches are giving us a fascinating glimpse into the history of human-bacterial interactions. By dusting off ancient human remains, recent work has uncovered some interesting findings about our ancestors’ relationship with microbes.