Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

Yacold also partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for gut health, an investigator-led research program.

To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

.jp.j. That's y-A-K-U-Lt.C-O.jp. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.

This is Scientific American's 60-second science. I'm Christopher in Taliatta.

When Europeans arrived in the new world, they carried with them microscopic deadly organisms,

like smallpox, measles, and flu, which caused devastating outbreaks among the indigenous people.

One of those outbreaks was what became called the Koko-Litsli epidemic of 1545,

among the people known as the Mischtecs, in what is today southern Mexico.

The victims suffered rashes and fevers, blood streamed from their eyes, noses, and mouths.

Millions died. But we're still not sure what caused it.

So scientists looked to ten victims, buried in communal graves

in one of the afflicted towns for clues. They sequenced DNA from within their pulpy tooth

cavities. Most studies of ancient bones ditch all the associated microbial DNA so that only the host

DNA is analyzed. But in this case, the bacterial and viral DNA were the stars of the show,

which also meant a lot more genetic data to sift through. The difference is the needle in the haystack.

Noreen-2 Ross, a biochemist at Harvard University. This is a much bigger haystack. Using a new algorithm

to help him dive into that huge haystack, they found a needle.

Genetic evidence of the deadly salmonella enterica paratyphi C bacterium, which causes enteric fever. The results are in the journal Nature, Ecology, and Evolution.

The researchers stopped short of pinning the epidemic on the salmonella alone.

Could there have been other organs around?

...