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.
Ghost DNA in Living Humans Reveals Two Unknown Ancient Human Lineages
discovermagazine - Learn how researchers uncovered two ancient human lineages without sequenced ancient DNA from either population.
AI Summary: Genomic analyses detected contributions from two previously unidentified "ghost" lineages in modern human DNA, indicating that ancient populations interbred more widely than the fossil record alone had suggested. The findings reshape models of prehistoric population structure, revealing hidden ancestry signals from extinct groups that persist in living people.