Posted on 12/10/2009 4:37:14 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
Ontario, Canada (AHN) - In the first study of its kind researchers detected the stress hormone cortisol in the hair of ancient Peruvians. The study subjects lived between 550 and 1532 A.D. and like us today stress was a part of their daily lives.
Researchers say cortisol is released into the body including the hair when an individual is stressed due to real or perceived threats.
Emily Webb, a Ph.D. the lead author of the study says, "By studying the lives of people using traditional archaeological methods like surveying and excavation and combining that with new research techniques like sampling ancient hair specimens, we can get a good picture of what life was like and how our ancestors may have responded to life-changing experiences like illness and disease," explains Webb.
The study found that many of the individuals researchers studied displayed high stress levels right before death. However authors of the study said a majority also experienced multiple episodes of stress throughout their final years of their life.
The findings give rise to the similarities between stress then and now and reveal it was very much a part of ancient Peruvian daily lives.
Aw heck. Menopause did it for me. My hair’s gray but my mustache isn’t. :-)
That REALLY made me laugh out loud!
My husband (who is losing his hair rather quickly) keeps telling me that I should *treasure* each hair...no matter where.
I’m a little more discriminating than that (I hope).
50mm, after the day I had to day, (dr’s appt) I will take ALL of it! LoL
Dj/Az, I don’t appreciate all of *my* hairs. I now have to pluck 2 blonde hairs on my chin and a dark one. Does this make me a witch? ;-)
LoL mustache— :^{/
Better a witch than a....nevermind, I was thinking of MO!
LM_O
Yep, since I graduated into my 40th decade I admit it, I have 3 chin hairs. ;) I pluck them with PAINfulpride.
I wonder if chin hairs have cortisol in them too?!
Kim, as to being a witch, personally, I once took a 3 hour ride with Hubby at the height of menopause and never said a word to him. He was SO happy!
Many South American tribes were cannibals, and the Incas certainly practiced human sacrifice.
However, the particular method you describe is more likely to be Meso-American. Aztec, Maya, Toltec, etc.
OUCH!! But if you pluck them, how will I know you if I ever get to MEET you?
It’s those *little things* that keep our guys happy!
(Have we *highjacked* this thread? I don’t want to feel badly all day.)
We should probably resort to freepmail.
I visited the ‘Pit of Doom’ (as I call it) at Chichen Itza, MX. It was the creepiest feeling I’ve ever had. It was a bottomless water-filled well that they used for human sacrifices; usually little boys and girls weighted down with gold and jewels.
I can’t believe that thieves haven’t dived down there to collect the loot. (Well, they probably have. That entire historic landmark was a mess; trash everywhere, no securty that I could see, etc.)
LoL I’ll probably be the one with a purse that looks like a suitcase for all the maintanence tools. :-) I would consider them stress reducers.
Oops that last one was for 50mm. Sorry~
They didn't seem to exactly practice a "religion of peace," did they?
However, I stand by my point. The "drag 'em to the altar and cut out their beating hearts" is indeed pretty much a Meso-American practice. It's about the only thing the Moche didn't do to their captives.
I also have a problem with the women is compassionate argument. My family grew up on the frontier and the word was the women did the hacking and slashing after the men did the killing.
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