Researchers studying ancient Neanderthal DNA found traces of three viruses that cause colds, cold sores, genital warts, and cancer. And ancient humans might have been the ones who started spreading these bugs, according to the scientists who recently published their work in the peer-reviewed journal "Viruses." This isn't the first time researchers have found inert (no longer infectious) ancient human viruses. That means tools used to study ancient human DNA might not work for viruses, Sally Wasef, a paleogenetics researcher at Queensland University of Technology, told New Scientist. Massilani also had some concerns with how the researchers were interpreting the ancient DNA.

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Persons: —, Marcelo Briones, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology Hendrik Schmidt, papillomavirus, Briones, Sasha Tabachnikova, Epstein, Barr, wasn't, Sally Wasef, Massilani Organizations: Service, Business, Chemnitz State Museum of Archaeology, Getty, Yale School of Medicine, Yale, Queensland University of Technology, New Locations: Chemnitz, Chagyrskaya Cave, Southern Siberia, Briones, Siberia