Lead Poisoning in Humans: A 2-Million-Year History
Lead has been poisoning humans for over 2 million years, with the toxic metal potentially rewiring early human brains and influencing the fate of the Neanderthals.
According to a study published in Science Advances, lead exposure has been a persistent issue throughout human history, correlating with the evolution of human brains, behavior, and language.
Exposure to lead may have affected the evolution of human brains, behavior, and even our language.
- Lead exposure has been a problem for over 2 million years, affecting Homo sapiens and hominid ancestors.
- The metal's influence may have contributed to the differences in human and Neanderthal evolution.
Author's summary: Lead poisoning has been a human issue for millions of years.