When was genital herpes discovered

Genital herpes infects about one in six American adults. But who was patient zero, the individual responsible for this irritating scourge?

Researchers in England believe they've found him, or at least his species: Paranthropus boisei , a heavyset, bipedal hominin likely passed the first case of genital herpes to our ancient ancestors.

The new study, published in Virus Evolution , has identified when and how the first human ancestor likely contracted genital herpes. The team used fossil data showing where and when ancient people were likely present in Africa, the estimated range for ancestral chimpanzees in the tropical rainforest, and viral genetics to model the history of the virus. They already knew that HSV2, the virus responsible for genital herpes, probably entered early humans before they left Africa. And that initial entry would have enabled its spread to wherever they migrated.

But no one knew exactly when or how the virus traveled from chimpanzees to humans. Our ancient hominin ancestors likely had HSV1, the virus associated with mouth sores, for far longer. That virus was a hand-me-down from when humans first separated from chimpanzees. But genital herpes, caused by HSV2 didn't make the leap at that time. Extensive data crunching led them to P. Although it's hard to spot, researchers found flecks of lapis lazuli pigment, called ultramarine, in the dental plaque on the lower jaw of a medieval woman.

A Neanderthal fossil, left, and a modern human skeleton. Neanderthals have commonly be considered to show high incidences of trauma compared with modern humans, but a new study reveals that head trauma was consistent for both.

The world's oldest figurative artwork from Borneo has been dated to 40, years ago, when humans were living on what's now known as Earth's third-largest island. A ,year-old Neanderthal child's tooth contains an unprecedented record of the seasons of birth, nursing, illness and lead exposures over the first three years of its life.

An artist's illustration shows giant nocturnal elephant birds foraging in the ancient forests of Madagascar at night. A new study suggests that the now-extinct birds were nocturnal and blind. Kebara 2 is the most complete Neanderthal fossil recovered to date. It was uncovered in Israel's Kebara Cave, where other Neanderthal remains have been found. The world's oldest intact shipwreck was found by a research team in the Black Sea.

It's a Greek trading vessel that was dated to BC. The ship was surveyed and digitally mapped by two remote underwater vehicles.

This fossil represents a new piranha-like fish from the Jurassic period with sharp, pointed teeth. It probably fed on the fins of other fishes. Two small bones from the Ciemna Cave in Poland are the oldest human remains found in the country.

The condition of the bones also suggests that the child was eaten by a large bird. This artist's illustration shows the newly discovered dinosaur species Ledumahadi mafube foraging in the Early Jurassic of South Africa. Heterodontosaurus,another South African dinosaur, can also be seen in the foreground. A 73,year-old red cross-hatch pattern was drawn on a flake of silicrete, which forms when sand and gravel cement together, and found in a cave in South Africa.

A suite of Middle Neolithic pottery including typical Danilo ware, figulina and rhyta that was used to hold meat, milk, cheese and yogurt. These four dinosaurs showcase the evolution of alvarezsaurs. From left, Haplocheirus, Xiyunykus, Bannykus and Shuvuuia reveal the lengthening of the jaws, reduction of teeth and changes in the hand and arm. Eorhynchochelys sinensis is an early turtle that lived million years ago. It had a toothless beak, but no shell.

The leg bones of a 7-year-old, recovered from an ancient Roman cemetery, show bending and deformities associated with rickets. The famed Easter Island statues, called moai, were originally full-body figures that have been partially covered over the passage of time. They represent important Rapa Nui ancestors and were carved after a population was established on the island years ago. Researchers stand at the excavation site of Aubrey Hole 7, where cremated human remains were recovered at Stonehenge to be studied.

The fossil of the newly discovered armored dinosaur Akainacephalus johnsoni was found in southern Utah. The foot is one part of a partial skeleton of a 3. The asteroid impact that caused dinosaurs to go extinct also destroyed global forests, according to a new study.

This illustration shows one of the few ground-dwelling birds that survived the toxic environment and mass extinction. The remains of a butchered rhinoceros are helping researchers to date when early humans reached the Philippines. This adolescent was found lying on his side, which suggests a slower death. Other skeletons found in the homes and streets of the ringfort at Sandby borg show signs of sudden death by blows to the head. The skeleton of a young woman and her fetus were found in a brick coffin dated to medieval Italy.

Her skull shows an example of neurosurgery, and her child was extruded after death in a rare "coffin birth. This portion of a whale skull was found at the Calaveras Dam construction site in California, along with at least 19 others. Some of the pieces measure 3 feet long. A Stone Age cow skull shows trepanation, a hole in the cranium that was created by humans as as surgical intervention or experiment. On the left is a fossilized skull of our hominin ancestor Homo heidelbergensis, who lived , to , years ago.

On the right is a modern human skull. Hominins had pronounced brow ridges, but modern humans evolved mobile eyebrows as their face shape became smaller. On the left is a 13,year-old footprint as found in the sediment on Calvert Island, off the Canadian Pacific coast.

On the right is a digitally enhanced image, showing details of the footprint. A central platform at Star Carr in North Yorkshire, England, was excavated by a research team studying past climate change events at the Middle Stone Age site.

The Star Carr site is home to the oldest evidence of carpentry in Europe and of built structures in Britain. This wall with paintings is in the La Pasiega Cave in Spain. The ladder shape of red horizontal and vertical lines is more than 64, years old and was made by Neanderthals. These perforated shells were found in Spain's Cueva de los Aviones sea cave and date to between , and , years ago. Researchers believe these served as body ornamentation for Neanderthals.

The earliest modern human fossil ever found outside of Africa has been recovered in Israel. This suggests that modern humans left Africa at least 50, years earlier than previously believed. The upper jawbone, including several teeth, was recovered in a prehistoric cave site. Researchers investigated a "pestilence" cemetery associated with a devastating epidemic.

New analysis suggests that salmonella caused a typhoid fever epidemic. Standing about 4 feet tall, early human ancestor Paranthropus boisei had a small brain and a wide, dish-like face. It is most well-known for having big teeth and hefty chewing muscles. A grand grave of a great Viking warrior excavated during the s has been found to be that of a woman. She was also buried with a gaming board and pieces, hierarchically associated with officers to use for battle strategy and tactics.

The drawing is a reconstruction of how the grave with the woman originally may have looked. An illustration shows the dodo on Mauritius near the Mare aux Songes, where many dodo skeletons have been recovered. A 5,year-old dog skull found in Germany underwent whole genome sequencing. It was found to be very similar to the genome of modern dogs, suggesting that all modern dogs are direct ancestors of the domesticated dogs that lived in the world's earliest farming communities in Europe.

Razanandrongobe sakalavae, or " Razana ," was one of the top predators of the Jurassic period in Madagascar million years ago. Although it looks different from modern-day crocodiles and had teeth similar to a T. An artist's reconstruction shows Macrauchenia patachonica, which roamed South America thousands of years ago. Combining a range of odd characteristics from llamas and camels to rhinos and antelopes, Macrauchenia defied clarification until now and has been added to the tree of life.

It belongs to a sister group of Perissodactyla, which includes horses, rhinos and tapirs. This prosthetic device was made for a priest's daughter who had to have her right big toe amputated 3, years ago. This surprisingly lifelike toe was made to look natural by a skilled artisan who wanted to maintain the aesthetic as well as mobility during the Early Iron Age.

It was designed to be worn with sandals, the footwear of choice at the time. The oldest fossil remains of Homo sapiens, dating back , years, were found at a site in Jebel Irhoud, Morocco. This is , years older than previously discovered fossils of Homo sapiens that have been securely dated. The fossils, including a partial skull and a lower jaw, belong to five different individuals including three young adults, an adolescent and a child estimated to be 8 years old.

Nodosaurs were herbivores who walked on four legs and were covered in tank-like armor and dotted with spikes for protection. But this recently unveiled million-year-old fossil is the most well-preserved of the armored dinosaurs ever unearthed. Microfossils found in China have revealed what could be our earliest known ancestor on the tree of life.

Saccorhytus was a tiny, bag-like sea creature that lived million years ago. In , researchers discovered ancient collagen and protein remains preserved in the ribs of a dinosaur that walked the Earth million years ago. By studying the skeleton of this medieval pilgrim, researchers have been able to genotype leprosy. They also discovered that leprosy-causing bacteria have changed little over hundreds of years, possibly explaining the decline in the disease after it peaked in medieval Europe as humans developed resistance.

The discovery of a species that lived 6. The creature -- whose skull was excavated in Yunnan province -- would have been twice the size of today's otters. The tail of a million-year-old dinosaur was found entombed in amber in , an unprecedented discovery that has blown away scientists. The amber adds to fossil evidence that many dinosaurs sported feathers rather than scales.

For the first time, researchers discovered genomic evidence of malaria in 2,year-old human remains from the Roman Empire. The discovery was made in Story highlights A new study suggests that a hominin is to blame for modern genital herpes It is the most likely culprit to help the disease jump the species barrier.

Ancient chimpanzees genetically passed oral herpes herpes simplex 1, or HSV-1 to the earliest humans millions of years ago when our lineage split. And we almost missed out on catching that other scourge, genital herpes HSV-2 -- almost. Unfortunately for modern humans, millions of years ago, an early human ancestor was in the right place at the right time to catch HSV And it might not have happened if it weren't for that meddling hominin species Paranthropus boisei, according to a new study in the journal Virus Evolution.

Background: Herpes simplex virus type 2 HSV-2 infection is usually transmitted sexually and can cause recurrent, painful genital ulcers. In neonates the infection is potentially lethal.

We investigated the seroprevalence and correlates of HSV-2 infection in the United States and identified changes in HSV-2 seroprevalence since the late s. Results: From to , the seroprevalence of HSV-2 in persons 12 years of age or older in the United States was