Unraveling the Lives of Ordinary Medieval People through Bone Biographies

Take a stroll through medieval England and you'll find yourself in a completely foreign world.

Upon entering the world of Middle English, Anglo-French, and Latin, one would be met with a surprising divergence in culture, landscape, and languages. It would likely be quite different from the portrayal in the comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

While historical accounts provide insight into the lives of royalty and the wealthy, the experiences of everyday people are often absent. This lack of information makes it challenging to envision what our lives would have been like if we had lived centuries ago. The scarcity of these clues complicates our understanding of the past, particularly during a thousand-year period marked by turmoil.

But a new project is bringing those stories to light.

We are family

This illustration shows Wat, a survivor of the Black Death who lived in medieval Cambridge.

Mark Gridley/After the Plague

DNA analysis has provided an intimate glimpse into the lives of 16 people who lived in medieval Cambridge, including some who survived the Black Death.

Researchers analyzed the genetic makeup of hundreds of skeletons unearthed from cemeteries in an English city. This in-depth study allowed the team to construct "bone biographies" of individuals, ranging from townsfolk to scholars, long-distance travelers, and artisans.

These osteobiographies provide insight into the people's diets, daily activities, injuries, and in some cases, the causes of their deaths. In order to humanize the subjects, the researchers assigned them pseudonyms and created illustrated portraits, such as Anne, who was left with a limp due to multiple leg injuries.

Result:

Wat, who survived the plague, passed away in his sixties due to cancer. He was among the many who sought refuge at a charitable hospital that offered an early form of support for the less fortunate and those in poor health.

Aftershocks are anticipated in the hours and days after a major earthquake, but a group of geoscientists believes that aftershocks from some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in the United States are still being felt almost 200 years later.

Three powerful earthquakes struck near the border of Missouri and Kentucky in 1811 and 1812, with magnitudes ranging from 7.3 to 7.5. According to recent research, these earthquakes are probably the cause of 30% of the earthquakes that have occurred in the region from 1980 to 2016.

The 1886 magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Charleston, South Carolina, seems to have caused 16% of the region's current seismic activity. The reason for such significant earthquakes in normally stable areas remains unknown, but studying the seismic activity can aid scientists in predicting future disaster risks in these areas.

Across the universe

The Spitzer Space Telescope captured a view of a dark cloud called "the Brick" at the center of the Milky Way.

NASA/Caltech/Solange V. Ramirez (NExScI; Caltech)

Astronomers employed the James Webb Space Telescope to peer into a dense, dusty, box-shaped cloud at the heart of our galaxy and were left with more uncertainties than solutions. This cloud, known as "the Brick" because of its shape and lack of transparency, was believed to be a focal point of star formation. However, Webb's precise infrared observation did not revealed any young stars concealed by the dust.

Instead, the observatory discovered an abundance of frozen carbon monoxide. The research team is uncertain why there is solid ice within the Brick instead of stars, but investigating this galactic area may revolutionize astronomers' understanding of star formation.

Unearthed

Fossils first thought to be the leaves of an extinct plant are actually the shells of baby turtles that lived among dinosaurs.

Upon further examination of the fossils discovered in the 1950s and 1970s, researchers determined that the leaflike structure was composed of bone. After uncovering this mystery, the scientists playfully dubbed the turtle species "Turtwig" in reference to the enigmatic nature of the fossil, drawing inspiration from a Pokémon character that is part-plant, part-turtle.

were revealed by paleontologists for the first time: a tyrannosaur fossil with its stomach contents still preserved. This discovery provided insight into the dinosaur's final meal 75 million years ago before it died.

Breeding chinstrap penguins accumulate around 11 hours of sleep by taking "micronaps" lasting an average of four seconds, scientists found.

Federico Anfitti/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Antarcticas chinstrap penguins, so named for the distinctive black band looping beneath their chins, are experts when it comes to "micronaps."

During the breeding season, chinstrap penguins take over 10,000 short naps a day, with each one lasting around four seconds, as found in a recent study. The penguins in the colony were observed using these micronaps to get around 11 hours of sleep each day while simultaneously incubating and guarding their nests from the brown skua, a predatory bird.

While fragmented sleeping patterns are detrimental and inadvisable for humans, they seem to be an adaptation of survival for the penguins, the international team of study authors said.

Discoveries

The latest discovery is sure to intrigue you: While ancient Egyptians held baboons in high regard, a recent study of baboon mummies has revealed that the imported primates suffered in their unfamiliar surroundings.

India's Chandrayaan-3's propulsion module, which facilitated the historic moon landing, has returned to Earth's orbit and is now undertaking a bonus mission that has the potential to assist in the quest for extraterrestrial life.

The US Food and Drug Administration has authorized two gene-based treatments for sickle cell disease, one of which is the inaugural therapy to utilize CRISPR gene editing.

During his time on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio accidentally misplaced one of the first tomatoes grown in space. Luckily, months later his colleagues found it, finally closing the case – and proving that Rubio didn't eat it.

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