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You can learn a lot from a tooth.

Molars taken from skeletons unearthed by work on a new London railway line are revealing secrets of the medieval Black Death — and of its victims.

This week, Don Walker, an osteologist with the Museum of London, outlined the biography of one man whose ancient bones were found by construction workers under London’s Charterhouse Square: He was breast-fed as a baby, moved to London from another part of England, had bad tooth decay in childhood, grew up to work as a laborer, and died in early adulthood from the bubonic plague that ravaged Europe in the 14th century.

The poor man’s life was nasty, brutish and short, but his afterlife is long and illuminating.

“It’s fantastic we can look in such detail at an individual who died 600 years ago,” Walker said. “It’s incredible, really.”

The 25 skeletons were uncovered last year during work on Crossrail, a new rail line that’s boring 13 miles (21 kilometers) of tunnels under the heart of the city. Archaeologists immediately suspected the bones came from a cemetery for plague victims. The location, outside the walls of the medieval city, chimes with historical accounts. The square, once home to a monastery, is one of the few spots in the city to stay undisturbed for centuries.

To test their theory, scientists took one tooth from each of 12 skeletons, then extracted DNA from the teeth. They announced Sunday that tests had found the presence of the plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, in several of the teeth, meaning the individuals had been exposed to — and likely died from — the Black Death.

The findings didn’t stop there. Archaeologists, historians, microbiologists and physicists worked together to apply techniques from several scientific disciplines to the discovery.

Radiocarbon dating and analysis of pottery shards helped determine when the burials took place. Forensic geophysics — more commonly used in murder and war-crimes investigations — helped locate more graves under the square. Studying oxygen and strontium isotopes in the bones revealed details of diet and health.

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We recently asked a group of teaching assistants, “How do you think today’s college classroom is different than when you were an undergraduate student? What is the most significant change you’ve noticed?”

The number one answer? Technology.

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For parents right now, the classroom may already seem fairly alien.  When an elementary school student shares their frustration with their Prezi presentation about apartheid, or laments the lameness of their PowerPoint animated transitions, parents know that the world has changed.  When a high school student makes a video accompanied by music and special effects, …

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7 Pillars Of Digital Leadership In Education

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Perhaps you’ve punched out a paper doll or folded an origami swan? TED Fellow Manu Prakash and his team have created a microscope made of paper that’s just a…

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The Popular Virtual World Game is Gaining the Attention of Educators at a Quickening Pace, and For Good Reason. Minecraft is showing up with increasing frequency in education technology related…

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Is it too early for science? I don’t think so. YouTuber spumwack is here to show us that Minecraft can be an awesome tool for visualizing complicated subjects, like the mechanisms of light speed.
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The video game industry notable isn’t happy about Facebook’s new $2 billion deal.

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5 Tips for Online Learning Success! The Pros and Cons of Online Learning | e-Learning Today TV Ana Kasparian and Jayar Jackson discuss a video from a student… (VIDEO | 5 Tips for Online Learning Success!

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Classrooms going digital bring both the good and the bad. Smaller mounds of paperwork and easy document storage (no more ‘dog ate my homework!’ or equally ridiculous excuses) fall on the good side of things.

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