Ancient mummy DNA provides scientific evidence that colonization brought smallpox to the Americas
Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas.
Ancient DNA recovered from two mummies discovered in northern Chile has provided compelling scientific evidence that European colonization introduced smallpox to the Americas. The mummies, dated to between 1492 and 1631, revealed the presence of two smallpox infections in ancient DNA samples from leg bone fragments of an adult man and woman.
Researchers compared the genetic makeup of the virus to other strains and found it to be phylogenetically intermediate between medieval European strains and later versions. This suggests that the smallpox strains infecting the South American populations evolved first in Europe. While it is clear that smallpox arrived in the Americas due to colonization, the exact population responsible remains unclear.
The disease could have spread through Europe to the Americas, or via the slave trade which passed through Africa. The discovery of these infections in an area without prior record of the disease raises questions about how the virus reached such remote populations. It is also possible that Indigenous trade networks played a role in the virus's spread.
The research not only confirms the historical impact of smallpox but also sheds light on the devastating biological effect it had on the Americas.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
