Medieval residents of Winchester, England, probably got their leprosy from red squirrels in the area, according to a team of archaeologists and geneticists that studied remains from two archaeological ...

Leprosy didn't prevent rich medieval families from being buried in the most prestigious graves, reveals new research. Wealthy Danes showed off their affluence even in death by being laid to rest ...

Laura holds a Master's in Experimental Neuroscience and a Bachelor's in Biology from Imperial College London. Her areas of expertise include health, medicine, psychology, and neuroscience. Laura holds ...

In medieval Denmark, people could pay for more prestigious graves closer to the church — a sign of wealth and status. But ...

Researchers discovered leprosy-causing germs in people's DNA, as well as a red squirrel found in medieval UK locations, shedding light on the disease's spread. Scientists found leprosy-causing ...

Leprosy was thought to have been eradicated from the UK for centuries — until now. It turns out the disease has been harbored, perhaps since the Middle Ages, in red squirrels in the British Isles. And ...

Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in ...

People and leprosy go way back. Way, way back. "It's been around for at least 5,000 years and probably longer," says Stewart Cole, who directs the Global Health Institute at the Swiss Federal ...