Ancient Nubians Drank Antibiotic-Laced Beer 249
Posted
by
timothy
from the what's-a-nubian dept.
from the what's-a-nubian dept.
eldavojohn writes "A new analysis of millennia old mummy bones (abstract; full article is paywalled) shows high concentrations of tetracycline, which indicates empirical knowledge and use of antibiotics — most likely consumed in beer. The researchers traced the source of the antibiotics to the soil bacteria streptomyces present in the grain used to ferment the beer. Astonishingly enough, 'Even the tibia and skull belonging to a 4-year-old were full of tetracycline, suggesting that they were giving high doses to the child to try and cure him of illness.' The extent of saturation in the bones leads the scientists to assert that the population regularly consumed tetracycline antibiotics knowing that it would cure certain sicknesses."
Obligatory... (Score:2, Funny)
"What's a Nubian?"
That's just wrong... (Score:4, Funny)
giving a child drug-laced beer. Next they'll discover they also used medical marijuana, which would be an even greater sin.
Mmm ... (Score:3, Funny)
Let's see (Score:5, Funny)
1. A new analysis of millennia old mummy bones shows high concentrations of tetracycline.
2. The researchers traced the source of the antibiotics to the soil bacteria streptomyces present in the grain used to ferment the beer.
3. Even the tibia and skull belonging to a 4-year-old were full of tetracycline.
Why my conclusion isn't "the population regularly consumed tetracycline antibiotics knowing that it would cure certain sicknesses." but "the Nubian were a bunch of alcoholics, including the children"?
Re:to try and cure him (Score:3, Funny)
to try and cure him... to try to cure him.... which sounds better to you?
The latter... if you're Hannibal Lector.
Re:I know nothing about this field of science (Score:5, Funny)
"must have been complete n00bs", well....they were called Nubians.
Re:Mmm ... (Score:3, Funny)
Beats the story about whisky made from a diabetic's urine.
Re:Mmm ... (Score:2, Funny)
Please mod this funny!
Re:So what killed the kid? (Score:5, Funny)
Drunk driving.
Re:That's just wrong... (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Obligatory... (Score:5, Funny)
What about you? You didn't tell me you were gonna scream "Black Rage!" I nearly pissed myself!
Re:Obligatory... (Score:3, Funny)
Nubian sounds like a new distro of Linux!
Wait for Knubian with KDE.
Re:So what killed the kid? (Score:5, Funny)
The scientist. It would be inhumane to run these tests on a live child.
Re:Mmm ... (Score:3, Funny)
I'll drink to that.
And That's Not All! (Score:4, Funny)
The presence of Carbon 14 in their bones is PROOF! PerOOF I tell you! that they had empirical knowledge of radionuclide dating techniques, and consumed precisely enough of the stuff to tell us just exactly how long ago they lived. But how did they know how far in the future it would be when we got their bones and dated them? Because they had the same empirical knowledge of the same psychic pills being taken by the researchers who could read their dead minds to learn that they had empirical knowledge of antibiotics when the evidence only indicates they absorbed endemic soil bacteria whether or not it might have come along with something that they ate which grew in the soil.
1. Dirt (dirty dirt!) ...
2. Beer (dirty beer!)
3.
4. SCIENCE!
I say they got it mixed up. The bones were buried in the soil with the bugs in it. The researchers were the ones with the beer. I have empirical proof: This is my empire and I say that it's so.
Re:Not really, no (Score:3, Funny)
So... yeast eats sugars, pisses alcohol and farts bubbles?
Cool!