Ancient DNA reveal colonial origins of smallpox in the Americas

AI Summary

Ancient DNA extracted from a Chilean mummy confirms that European colonization introduced smallpox to the Americas. This discovery provides the strongest evidence to date of the origins of smallpox in the New World and its devastating impact.

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 i...