AUSTRIA: It had once been assumed that Christopher Columbus brought syphilis back to Europe from the New World. That theory has been challenged, and now may be quite dead, as osteologists have found evidence of congenital syphilis—which is passed from pregnant mother to unborn child—among remains buried under the cathedral square in St. Pölten, dating to the early 15th century. The disease was identified by telltale changes to the shape of growing teeth. —Samir S. Patel