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Ancient Dental Plaque Reveals Secrets of Richard III

10/24/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Researchers led by geneticist Turi King reconstructed Richard III, the King of England, from calcified dental plaque on his skeleton uncovered in Leicester in 2012.
They identified nearly 400 microbial species, with a composition resembling samples from various regions over 7,000 years.
The presence of Tannerella forsythia suggests inflammatory stress, likely due to poor dental hygiene.
The findings show how ancient dental calculus can illuminate historical diets and diseases.

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Story summary

Researchers led by geneticist Turi King reconstructed Richard III, the King of England, from calcified dental plaque on his skeleton uncovered in Leicester in 2012.
They identified nearly 400 microbial species, with a composition resembling samples from various regions over 7,000 years.
The presence of Tannerella forsythia suggests inflammatory stress, likely due to poor dental hygiene.
The findings show how ancient dental calculus can illuminate historical diets and diseases.