A tale of two cesspits: DNA reveals intestinal health in Medieval Europe and Middle East

A new study published this week in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B demonstrates a first attempt at using the methods of ancient bacterial detection, pioneered in studies of past epidemics, to characterize the microbial diversity of ancient gut contents from two medieval latrines. The findings provide insights into the microbiomes of pre-industrial agricultural populations, which may provide much-needed context for interpreting the health of modern microbiomes.