Explore the latest developments concerning 'Clear Evidence': Ancient.
'Clear Evidence': Ancient DNA From Chilean Mummies Reveals Who Brought Smallpox to The Americas
Caused by the variola virus, it's thought to have been responsible for some 4 million total deaths in Indigenous communities in the Americas after European colonizers arrived – communities with no immune protection against the virus.
Previously, the evidence for this has been a historical paper trail.
Now though, 500 years later, we have the first solid genetic evidence that it was indeed smallpox contracted from Europeans that led to this catastrophic population decline in Indigenous communities.
Researchers from institutions in Ireland and Chile have discovered variola virus DNA on two naturally mummified corpses recovered in northern Chile, the remains of people believed to have died between 1492 and 1631 CE.
Smallpox DNA in ancient Inca mummies shows virus came from Europe
DNA samples collected from Inca mummies have confirmed the presence of a strain of smallpox that first emerged in Europe.
“We interpreted this as the first direct molecular evidence of smallpox introduction into the Americas through European colonisation,” says Shigeki Nakagome at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Smallpox was the scourge of humanity for centuries until its eradication in the 1980s, through vaccination, from all but a few high-security medical laboratories. Severe strains of the virus had a mortality rate of up to a third and left survivors with scars from the blisters and scabs that cover the skin and fill with pus.
Kinky Straight Human Hair Bundles 26 26 26 Bundles 100% Human Hair Raw Hair Bundles Brazilian Hair Extensions On Sale Clearance
Ancient mummy DNA provides scientific evidence that colonization brought smallpox to the Americas
This photo provided by Bernardo Arriaza shows the Camarones coast on Nov. 2, 2018, in Northern Chile, where scientists found evidence of ancient smallpox infections. (Bernardo Arriaza via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas.
Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before it was eradicated in 1980, largely thanks to vaccination. For centuries, the virus had killed about one-third of the people it infected and left most survivors with deep and sometimes disfiguring scars.
Outbreaks struck Asia and Europe and eventually spread to the Americas, where colonial writings, administrative records and missionary reports documented how it killed millions and devastated Indigenous populations who had never been exposed to the virus.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning 'Clear Evidence': Ancient.
0 Comments