Paleomicrobiology of Humans

This volume edited by Drancourt and Raoult, two of the biggest names in paleomicrobiology, is both educational and informative for researchers in the field. This compendium of articles spans subjects from the demography of epidemics to the more pointed analyses of specific pathogens (e.g., tuberculosis, malaria). In a book format (which always take a long time from conception to printing), most of the articles are already somewhat behind the curve of technological advances. But this does not detract from the usefulness of the information presented. Certainly, we find the biggest names in paleoarcheology and paleomicrobiology, such as the editors themselves, as well as Nerlich, Donoghue, and Aboudharam, among others. It is clear that the intention for this volume was to be an update of what has been done in paleomicrobiology. And, in that mission, it certainly succeeds. From the research articles, we clearly have get a good panorama of how far research on specific pathogens or “-omics” techniques for use on archeological samples has come. For example, the article on ancient resistome (Olaitain and Rolain) is an exciting new look at the potential of uncovering the evolutionary history of antibiotic resistance from historical samples. From the wider subject articles, we have an impressive array of methodologies and new guidelines to handle historical samples (and their data) in the field and in the laboratory. The chapter by Aboudharam is a thoughtful and detailed review of the types of samples with potential use for paleomicrobiology research, and also offers a small but important section on the ethical and legal framework in sample collection. Drancourt's article should figure prominently in all paleomicrobiology (and indeed field archeology) textbooks, as it offers an excellent and useful synthesis on data authentication and interpretation, which often plagues (pun intended) historical samples. We also have insightful essays, such as Abi-Rached and Raoult's Paleogenetics and Past Infections, presenting a roadmap of possibilities for connecting data that is often kept in their own respective field. It also offers a map of our current knowledge of the impact of archaic humans on the genomes of modern populations, showing us one glaring crucial area for which no data is available, and yet is fundamental for our understanding of human evolution: Africa. Although the authors do not go as far as invalidating results from local archeogenome comparisons with their respective modern denizens, they do mention that such gaps in data certainly produce biased results, especially when considering Neanderthal ancestry and hybridism with “modern” humans. So much in paleomicrobiology has changed so fast since the early work of Svante P????bo in the 1990s. It is often hard to catch up on the “state-of-the-field” literature, particularly now that publication outlets are numerous and publishing happens at a frantic pace. Although this volume suffers perhaps from a lack of structure (articles jump from specific agents of infection to data handling and back), it certainly achieves its goal of collecting, summarizing, and synthesizing decades of research into a succinct, well-edited, and user-friendly format. -Ang??lique Corthals, Science, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, New York