Ancient human remains harbor high‑risk HPV strain, study finds Scientists analysing ancient DNA from the 5,300‑year‑old Ötzi the Iceman and a 45,000‑year‑old Siberian man have identified the high‑risk human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV‑16) in both samples. The discovery, published on bioRxiv, represents the earliest molecular evidence of HPV‑16 in modern humans and suggests the virus has circulated for tens of thousands of years, possibly long before major human migrations out of Africa. The findings challenge the hypothesis that Neanderthals transmitted the virus to modern humans. Researcher Marcelo Briones, a professor at the Federal University of São Paulo, noted that the data indicate HPV‑16 co‑evolved with humans alongside other primates.

Original article can be found here.