Smallpox DNA Hidden for Centuries in Mummies Found in Chile Suggests European Colonists Brought the Virus to the Americas
Researchers say they found the first direct, molecular proof of the deadly trajectory the virus took
Smallpox DNA found in Chilean mummies suggests European colonists brought the virus to the Americas. Researchers from Indiana University and the University of Chile discovered ancient smallpox genetic material in the remains of two Inca individuals buried in northern Chile during the early Spanish colonial period. The samples, found in Camarones 9, were most closely related to European strains, indicating the virus arrived with Spanish colonists.
The individuals likely died between 1492 and 1631 C.E., supporting the hypothesis that smallpox arrived with the Spanish who captured and killed the Inca emperor in Peru. Smallpox, one of humanity's deadliest diseases, killed an estimated 500 million people before its eradication in 1980. The researchers found the smallpox DNA during a routine examination of ancient human DNA, which was badly degraded.
They were initially looking for tuberculosis DNA but were surprised to find smallpox. No historical records indicate a smallpox epidemic in northern Chile at the time, but the biological evidence suggests the virus was present. The findings offer new insights into smallpox's origins, spread, and evolution.
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