Head lice have been constant, if unwanted, human companions. The blood-sucking parasites are rich sources of genetic information illuminating some of the biggest questions in the human story.

Head lice have been constant, if unwanted, human companions for as long as our species has been around. Evidence of this ancient connection includes a 10,000-year-old louse found on human remains at ...

Scientists unraveling the genetic history of head lice have found startling evidence that early humans mingled with a clan of hairy, distant cousins as recently as 25,000 years ago in Asia -- a ...

Head lice are considered a nuisance — a pest to be evicted from the hair on your head or the head of a loved one with a special comb or shampoo. But there's more to lice than their elimination ...

Yes, Researchers Extracted Human DNA from Head Lice on Mummies The lice were said to contain more human DNA than a human tooth — and held secrets about the 2,000-year-old South American remains.

In fact, head lice have been clinging to human hair for as long as there've been humans — and likely even before that to the hair of our hominid ancestors.

The good news is that human head lice can't really move to other parts of our body or onto our pets. They're confined to the head. Enlarge this image. At the end of each of its six legs, ...

Humans and lice have coevolved for thousands of years. The oldest human louse known to scientists is a 10,000 year-old specimen from Brazil. Getty Images ...

Head lice have been constant, if unwanted, human companions for as long as our species has been around. Evidence of this ancient connection includes a 10,000-year-old louse found on human remains ...

In fact, head lice have been clinging to human hair for as long as there've been humans — and likely even before that to the hair of our hominid ancestors.