Iron Age skulls reveal some babies had flat head syndrome—long before the 'Back to Sleep' campaign

Written and edited by the WorldPing NewsdeskPublished Updated Original reporting: Phys.org
Iron Age skulls reveal some babies had flat head syndrome—long before the 'Back to Sleep' campaignWorldPing
Image via Phys.org.

What happened

Nearly 3,000 years ago, in central Italy, dozens of Picene people were laid to rest curled up on their sides, as if asleep.

Key facts

  • Nearly 3,000 years ago, in central Italy, dozens of Picene people were laid to rest curled up on their sides, as if asleep.
  • Reported by Phys.org and published Fri, 02 Oct 2026 16:00:01 UTC.

Why it matters

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What to watch next

  • Peer review status and replication of the findings
  • Mission milestones and next scheduled attempt
  • Funding or policy decisions that follow

Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

  1. Iron Age skulls reveal some babies had flat head syndrome—long before the 'Back to Sleep' campaign

  2. Ultrafast X-rays reveal how the light-responsive molecular switch azobenzene changes shape

Sources

The original report was published by Phys.org. WorldPing does not claim that reporting — this page summarises and contextualises it.

Read the full report at Phys.org

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