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Thursday, October 28, 2010

Photo: Gorillas Gave Pubic Lice to Humans, DNA Study Reveals


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Early humans caught pubic lice from gorillas about 3.3 million years ago, a new gene study has revealed.

While sex may be one explanation for the transfer, a more likely scenario is that our ancestors contracted the parasite by living near the apes or even sleeping in their abandoned nests.

Photograph by Michael Nichols/NGS