Advertisement

Early toilets reveal dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have discovered that our bowel movements haven’t changed much since the Old Testament. A study inspecting early toilets in Jerusalem has shown that the same form of diarrhoea many of us experience now has been around since before Jesus himself. Professor Piers Mitchell who runs the Ancient Parasites Laboratory in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge joined Stefanie Preissner on the show who was filling in for Seán today.

Share this article

14.23 29 May 2023


Early toilets reveal dysentery in Old Testament Jerusalem


Listen to this episode


Share this article

14.23 29 May 2023


Scientists from the University of Cambridge have discovered that our bowel movements haven’t changed much since the Old Testament. A study inspecting early toilets in Jerusalem has shown that the same form of diarrhoea many of us experience now has been around since before Jesus himself.

Professor Piers Mitchell who runs the Ancient Parasites Laboratory in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge joined Stefanie Preissner on the show who was filling in for Seán today.


Read more about

Moncrieff Highlights

Related Episodes

Erin Patterson and the Mushroo...

00:23:18

Erin Patterson and the Mushroom Murders: Why I Couldn’t Look Away

Newstalk Daily

00:23:18


Movies and TV: Superman, Too M...

00:15:24

Movies and TV: Superman, Too Much, We Live in Time

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:15:24


Do we need weather warnings fo...

00:14:01

Do we need weather warnings for heatwaves?

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:14:01


The Thursday Interview: John B...

00:12:56

The Thursday Interview: John Banville

The Hard Shoulder Highlights

00:12:56