Kissing may have become more common at that time.
The herpes virus behind cold sores may have first spread widely about 5,000 years ago, possibly due to the rising popularity of kissing at the time, researchers say.
That's the theory, anyway. Charlotte Houldcroft, co-senior author and leader of the Virus Genomics group in Cambridge University's Department of Genetics, told The Guardian that more evidence is needed to solidify the link between Bronze Age make-out sessions and modern herpes."Kissing is one of those behaviours that doesn't fossilise well," she said.
For the study, the researchers analyzed traces of herpes virus DNA found in the remains of four individuals excavated in the U.K., the Netherlands and Russia. The oldest remains, excavated from Russia's Ural Mountains region, were about 1,500 years old, and the youngest, found in the Netherlands, were about 350 years old.
The researchers looked to the roots of these individuals' teeth to"dust" for genetic"fingerprints" of herpes viruses. Unlike bones in the body, teeth don't regenerate, meaning they don't ever replace their old cells with new ones. Because of this, and because viruses can infiltrate teeth via the bloodstream, teeth can provide a cumulative record of pathogens a person has encountered, Live Science previously reported.
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