Ancient Smallpox DNA Hidden in Two Chilean Mummies Traces the Disease’s Colonial Arrival

discovermagazine - Learn how centuries-old DNA linked an extinct virus to European colonization and its spread through an Indigenous community in northern Chile.

AI Summary: Researchers detected ancient smallpox DNA in two Chilean mummies, providing genomic evidence that European colonists introduced the virus to the Americas. The findings link historical outbreaks to colonial contact, illuminate pathogen spread centuries ago, and offer a tangible genetic record of the devastating diseases that reshaped indigenous populations.