National Geographic News

I was recently interviewed on my opinion on the new paper arguing for the medicinal use of C. rotundus in Ancient Sudan. "Very exciting" indeed (that was my only quote)! Though it is not clear whether S. mutans was even common in the oral microbiomes of these peoples, it is still a fascinating hypothesis: that ancient peoples were consuming these tubers for their caries-inhibiting benefits, or at least that this was a side effect of their use for another purpose.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/140716-sudan-sedge-toothbrush-teeth-archaeology-science/

The original paper is here:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0100808