Tapeworms tell tales of deeper human past

People have been blaming the wrong episode in history for endowing our species with tapeworms, according to parasitologists.

Adult tapeworms injected with ink show the intricate branches of the worm uterus. The species that people catch from raw beef (above) has more of these branches than the tapeworm associated with raw pork (below). CDC

For decades, most scientists assumed that humanity picked up tapeworms while domesticating cattle and pigs some 10,000 years ago, explains Eric P.