Science magazine reports that Otzi, the neolithic iceman who was found preserved on an Alpine pass, not only had a genetic predisposition for atherosclerosis, he also had a severe case of the disorder. Since Otzi didn’t have a modern diet and probably got plenty of exercise, researchers wonder if we can do less about atherosclerosis with diet than we think we can.
The researchers also found that he was infected with Lyme disease, the oldest case known thus far, meaning that humans have been infected with Lyme for a long time.