Friday, April 11, 2014

Farming Makes You Weak

I know I've mentioned a number of times here, that as prehistoric peoples moved from a hunting-gathering economy to agriculture, in general their health declined. This was apparently due to a number of factors, including eating a more limited diet, living for long periods in one place increases the spread of disease, etc.

I just came across a link for a new study of human remains from the Danube region of Europe that shows the population's bones became weaker as it transitioned from hunting-gathering to agriculture. The magazine's title was a little more dramatic than mine - From athletes to couch potatoes: Humans through 6,000 years of farming.


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