World’s oldest cold virus found in 18th-century woman&#03...

What’s Happening

Alright so Finding rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, in preserved medical specimens and analysing their RNA genome could let us trace the evolution of human illness Health World’s oldest cold virus found in 18th-century woman’s lungs Finding rhinoviruses, which cause the common cold, in preserved medical specimens and analysing their RNA genome could let us trace the evolution of human illness By James Woodford 13 February 2026 Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email Historic anatomical preparations from the late 1700s in the Hunterian Anatomy Museum Anatomy Museum © The Hunterian, University of Glasgow A cold virus that infected a woman in London about 250 years ago has been identified , making it it the oldest locked in human RNA virus.

DNA sequencing has enabled scientists to find traces of some viruses up to 50,000 years old from ancient human skeletons. But many viruses , including the rhinoviruses that cause common colds, have a genome made from RNA , which is much less stable than DNA and usually degrades within a few hours after death. (and honestly, same)

We finally know why some people seem immune to catching covid-19 Our cells also produce RNA as part of the process of reading the genetic code and translating it into proteins.

The Details

In recent years, scientists have been pushing back the age at which they have been able to recover ancient RNA, with one team just extracting RNA from a woolly mammoth that died 40,000 years ago . “Until now, most ancient RNA studies have relied on exceptionally well-preserved materials, such as permafrost samples or desiccated seeds, which greatly limits what we can learn about past human disease,” says Erin Barnett at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington.

Free to Eight Weeks to a Healthier You Your science-backed guide to the easy habits that will help you sleep well, stress less, eat smarter and age better. To Since the early 1900s, many tissues in pathology collections have been preserved in formalin, which protects RNA from complete and rapid degradation.

Why This Matters

This could have implications for future research in this area.

Scientists and researchers are watching this development closely.

The Bottom Line

This story is still developing, and we’ll keep you updated as more info drops.

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