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Do You Have the Good or Bad Covid-19 Neanderthal Genes?

Do You Have the Good or Bad Covid-19 Neanderthal Genes?

Back in 2020 researchers claimed that they had discovered a Neanderthal Covid gene which decreased our ability to fight the virus SARS-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19. Now a new research project in Japan...
Tudor coins discovered in surprising hoard in the garden of a house in the New Forest, Hampshire. Source: The Trustees of the British Museum.

47,000 U.K. Pandemic Finds, But This Tudor Coin Hoard Is King!

Around 47,000 historical finds have been recorded with the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) scheme in 2020. According to finds.org , 6,251 of the lost artifacts were reported during...
It’s still possible to celebrate Halloween during the coronavirus pandemic.

Halloween CAN Go on With These Fun Ancient Traditions

It’s official. Ireland – the home of Halloween traditions – has banned Halloween parties and traditional trick-or-treating festivities this year as tackling Covid-19 remains top of government’s...
A group of Neanderthals, who, according to a new research paper, gave modern humans a Neanderthal gene that can make Covid-19 more servere.            Source: Gorodenkoff / Adobe Stock

Covid-19 Complications – Are Neanderthals to Blame?

A strand of Neanderthal DNA inherited by modern humans has been linked to your likelihood of falling severely ill with Covid-19 , but not everyone is convinced. The Neanderthal gene is only found in...
Florence’s historic ‘wine windows’ have reopened in response to COVID-19                 Source: Buchette Del Vino

Historic Wine Windows Reopen in Italy, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

The bubonic plague , otherwise known as the Black Death, originated in Asia during the late Middle Ages and spread north into Europe through the bacteria Yersinia pestis on infected fleas. To counter...
A wine window (buchetta del vino), used in the past to sell wine directly to passers-by, on the old stone wall of an ancient building in the historic centre of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Source: Simona Sirio /Adobe Stock

Medieval ‘Wine Windows’ Revived Due to Coronavirus

An old tradition has been revived in Florence, Italy due to the COVID-19 crisis. Once again wine windows have been opened to serve customers in one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. This tradition...
Researchers have discovered extinct strains of smallpox, an infectious disease also known as Variola, in the teeth of Viking skeletons proving the disease was around at least 1,400 years ago. Source: nobeastsofierce / Adobe Stock

Viking Explorers Found To Be Carriers Of The World's Deadliest Virus

Chinese-Flu, Kung-Flu and now Trump-Flu, according to Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, but now, in the middle of all these politicized pseudonyms names for...
Stonehenge will be empty for the summer solstice in 2020. Source: Stephen /Adobe Stock

The Summer Solstice at Stonehenge - A History-Making Livestream

In the northern hemisphere, when the summer solstice occurs around June 21, the North Pole is tilted about 23°27´ toward the Sun, which itself is traveling its longest path through the sky, and that...
Modern day uprising. Credit: Ciudalia / Adobe Stock

Uprisings After Pandemics: It Happened Before and May Happen Again

As a professor of medieval Europe, I’ve taught the bubonic plague, and how it contributed to the English Peasant Revolt of 1381. Now that America is experiencing widespread unrest in the midst of its...
Before Epidemiologists Began Modeling Disease, It Was the Job of Astrologers

Before Epidemiologists Began Modeling Disease, It Was the Job of Astrologers

The internet is awash with comparisons between life during COVID-19 and life during the Bubonic plague . The two have many similarities, from the spread of misinformation and the tracking of...
Long Before Face Masks, Islamic Healers Tried to Ward Off Disease With Talismans

Long Before Face Masks, Islamic Healers Tried to Ward Off Disease With Talismans

Just as many now don face masks and do breathing exercises to protect against COVID-19 – despite debates around the science behind such practices – so too did the Islamic world turn to protective...
Archaeology shows the damaging impact of pandemic outbreaks and how the ancient Africans dealt with them. From social distancing to more extreme measures of burning settlements, what lessons can be applied today?    Source: Fxquadro / Adobe stock

Archaeology Shows How Ancient African Societies Managed Pandemics

Every so often, a pandemic emerges that dramatically alters human society. The Black Death (1347 - 1351) was one; the Spanish flu of 1918 was another. Now there’s COVID-19 . Archaeologists have long...
A grim reaper brings death by boat. Credit: Cushing / Whitney Medical Library

How ‘Death Ships’ Spread Disease Through the Ages

One of the haunting images of this pandemic will be stationary cruise ships – deadly carriers of COVID-19 – at anchor in harbours and unwanted. Docked in ports and feared. The news of the dramatic...
Many think of modern globalization as a corporate phenomenon, linking it to the spread of coronavirus. But in fact, archaeology evidences it began in antiquity up to 5,000 years ago. Pictured: Ptolemy’s Global map. 	Source: British Library

Elephants to Electronics: The Ancient Phenomenon of Modern Globalization

Many think of globalization as a modern and corporate phenomenon , and it has been readily linked to the spread of coronavirus. But modern globalization isn’t new. Archaeological research shows it...
Left: Florence Nightingale inspects a hospital ward during the Crimean War. ( Wellcome Images / CC BY 4.0).   Right: Portrait of Florence Nightingale from Carte de Visite. (H. Lenthall / Public domain)

A History of Nursing Heroes from Florence Nightingale to Coronavirus

By Leslie Neal-Boylan / The Conversation Nurses are heroes of the COVID-19 crisis. May 12 is International Nurses Day, which commemorates the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the first “professional...
Representation of an Irish holy well. Source: Michal / Adobe stock

Believers Flock to Irish Holy Wells Seeking Solace From Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has led many people to seek comfort in a variety of ways. Some have returned to traditional customs and beliefs. In Ireland many people are making a pilgrimage to holy wells...
Ancient equestrian tactics are being used to enforce the coronavirus lockdown. Source: mrfk / Adobe Stock.

Ancient Equestrian Tactics Used Against New Foe

Police forces around the world are deploying horses to maintain social control as communities begin to crack under the pressure of social restrictions. Archaeologists know horses were ridden in...
Representation of a horse-mounted Parthian warrior in the sunset.    Source: mehmetcan / Adobe stock

Parthian Warrior Grave Accidently Unearthed During COVID-19 Burial

An ancient skeleton and burial artifacts of a Parthian warrior have been unearthed in Iran while excavators buried COVID-19 victims. The skeleton and collection of ancient artifacts were discovered...
Ancient Mill Back in Action to Meet Coronavirus Demand

Ancient Mill Back in Action to Meet Coronavirus Demand

In Britain , a historic and ancient mill, that dates back a millennium is once more producing flour after 50 years. The Sturminster Newton Mill is milling flour to meet soaring demand during the...
Ayurvedic text and coronavirus. Source: inkoly / Fæ.

Did 5,000 Year-Old Ayurvedic Text Predict Coronavirus?

An Indian doctor claims an ancient Indian Ayurvedic text describes a virus similar to the current coronavirus, but are the newly presented correlations just headline grabbing? Smita Naram is an...
IMAGE Upload an image to go with this article. Show row weights FILE INFORMATION	OPERATIONS   Image icon Screenshot_20200404-213144_Docs.jpg (313.42 KB) Alternate text 1,000-Year English Tradition Goes Online for First Time in History This text will be used by screen readers, search engines, or when the image cannot be loaded.   Image icon pandemic.jpg (41.22 KB) Alternate text This text will be used by screen readers, search engines, or when the image cannot be loaded. Add a new file  Files must be less th

1,000-Year English Tradition Goes Online for First Time in History

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted daily life around the world. It has also interfered with many historic traditions and ceremonies . A 1000-year-old swearing-in of a sheriff was not able to take...
Medieval Anchorites Were Experts at Self-Isolation, And They Give This Advice

Medieval Anchorites Were Experts at Self-Isolation, And They Give This Advice

The pandemic of COVID-19 is often called “unprecedented” – and for many people cooped up in their homes in different countries, the experience is both unparalleled and challenging. But in late-...

Indian Woman Arrested for Using ‘Sorcery’ to Cure Covid-19

Hajira Beevi, 47, lives in Cheranalloor, a suburb of Kochi city in the state of Kerala, India, on the banks of the Periyar River. She was arrested by the local police on Thursday after being caught...
Amid coronavirus lockdowns and closures, you can spend your extra time in one of the virtual museums worldwide. (Main: Natural History Museum in London entrance. Inset: Closed sign.) Source: kmiragaya & Julistock / Adobe stock

Lockdown is the New Norm, But All is Not Lost As Virtual Museums Open

With UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson instructing the closure of museums and galleries across the UK, one by one their doors have shut this week after stringent new ‘lockdown’ measures were...

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