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LiveScience
LiveScience
Sandee Oster

Ancient children's teeth reveal a syphilis-like disease was spreading in Vietnam 4,000 years ago

A close up of a skull with white arrows pointing to various areas on its bony cheeks with a dark background behind.

Archaeologists in Vietnam have made a discovery that could rewrite scientists' understanding of where syphilis originated.

The team found the Stone Age skeletons of three people who had a debilitating bacterial disease that left marks on their bones and teeth. This disease is in the same family as syphilis, and the discovery of it in prehistoric Vietnam could challenge the idea that syphilis-like diseases originated in the Americas.

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