How Far Back Does Cancer Go in Human History?

Cancer in ancient humans has a history far older than modern industry. A small fossil from South Africa reveals a malignant bone tumor from about 1.7 million years ago—and raises questions about everything the archaeological record cannot preserve. Follow the evidence from an ancient foot bone to modern CT scans. Discover why an older benign tumor is a different finding, and why a skeleton without visible disease cannot tell us its owner was cancer-free. In this video, we explore: The Swartkrans foot bone and the evidence for osteosarcoma How DNA changes can disrupt normal cell growth The difference between benign tumors and cancer Why soft tissues and hidden lesions limit the historical record What a study of medieval Cambridge can—and cannot—tell us These discoveries connect prehistoric life with the long history of illness, while keeping reconstruction separate from what the bones actually prove. Like this video, share it with someone curious about our ancestors, and subscribe for more stories of ancient human life. Sources: Odes, E. J., et al. (2016). Earliest hominin cancer: 1.7-million-year-old osteosarcoma from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa. South African Journal of Science, 112(7/8), Article 2015-0471. Randolph-Quinney, P. S., et al. (2016). Osteogenic tumour in Australopithecus sediba. South African Journal of Science, 112(7/8), Article 2015-0470. Mitchell, P. D., et al. (2021). The Prevalence of Cancer in Britain Before Industrialization. Cancer. National Cancer Institute. What Is Cancer?; Age and Cancer Risk. Accessed October 2026. #AncientHumans #CancerHistory #PrehistoricLife #AncientHistory #HumanHistory #Archaeology #Paleopathology #Swartkrans #Osteosarcoma #BoneCancer #MedicalHistory #FossilEvidence