The predictive power of palaeopathology

Francesco Maria Galassi; Michael E. Habicht; Elena Varotto

doi:10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00060-5

The predictive power of palaeopathology

Francesco Maria Galassi, Michael E. Habicht, Elena Varotto

College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

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Abstract

As palaeopathologists, we could not agree more with AbdulRahman A Saied and colleagues' statement that “[a]nalysis of historical specimens will deepen our understanding of virus evolution, enhancing our ability to predict and interpret the impact of various genetic changes.”1 We also value their reference to the potential antiquity of coronaviruses, as their evolutionary history probably extends further back in time than previously estimated. However, caution should be implemented when attributing the power of such strong predictions to the field of palaeopathology, since the histories of certain infectious diseases are far from being completely elucidated; this proves even truer for ancient Egypt.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	e391
Number of pages	1
Journal	The Lancet Microbe
Volume	4
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00060-5
Publication status	Published - Jun 2023

Keywords

palaeopathology
Mummy studies
Egyptology

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Published versionFinal published version, 40.6 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

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title = "The predictive power of palaeopathology",

abstract = "As palaeopathologists, we could not agree more with AbdulRahman A Saied and colleagues' statement that “[a]nalysis of historical specimens will deepen our understanding of virus evolution, enhancing our ability to predict and interpret the impact of various genetic changes.”1 We also value their reference to the potential antiquity of coronaviruses, as their evolutionary history probably extends further back in time than previously estimated. However, caution should be implemented when attributing the power of such strong predictions to the field of palaeopathology, since the histories of certain infectious diseases are far from being completely elucidated; this proves even truer for ancient Egypt.",

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T1 - The predictive power of palaeopathology

AU - Galassi, Francesco Maria

AU - Habicht, Michael E.

AU - Varotto, Elena

PY - 2023/6

Y1 - 2023/6

N2 - As palaeopathologists, we could not agree more with AbdulRahman A Saied and colleagues' statement that “[a]nalysis of historical specimens will deepen our understanding of virus evolution, enhancing our ability to predict and interpret the impact of various genetic changes.”1 We also value their reference to the potential antiquity of coronaviruses, as their evolutionary history probably extends further back in time than previously estimated. However, caution should be implemented when attributing the power of such strong predictions to the field of palaeopathology, since the histories of certain infectious diseases are far from being completely elucidated; this proves even truer for ancient Egypt.

AB - As palaeopathologists, we could not agree more with AbdulRahman A Saied and colleagues' statement that “[a]nalysis of historical specimens will deepen our understanding of virus evolution, enhancing our ability to predict and interpret the impact of various genetic changes.”1 We also value their reference to the potential antiquity of coronaviruses, as their evolutionary history probably extends further back in time than previously estimated. However, caution should be implemented when attributing the power of such strong predictions to the field of palaeopathology, since the histories of certain infectious diseases are far from being completely elucidated; this proves even truer for ancient Egypt.

KW - palaeopathology

KW - Mummy studies

KW - Egyptology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150806354&partnerID=8YFLogxK

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DO - 10.1016/S2666-5247(23)00060-5

M3 - Letter

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SN - 2666-5247

VL - 4

SP - e391

JO - The Lancet Microbe

JF - The Lancet Microbe

IS - 6

ER -

The predictive power of palaeopathology

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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