Smallpox DNA in Ancient Mummies Traces Strain to Europe

Researchers report in the journal Science that ancient smallpox virus DNA was recovered from two individuals at the Camarones 9 archaeological site in northern Chile. Led by Shigeki Nakagome of Trinity College Dublin, the team noted that carbon dating places the deaths of these individuals between 1492 and 1631. The discovery of the variola virus DNA occurred incidentally during an investigation originally designed to study human DNA history at the location.

Genetic analysis demonstrates that the viral strain belongs to a lineage encompassing early medieval and early modern European strains. Researchers state this supports the conclusion that the virus arrived in the Americas from Europe during the colonial period. Tracing the biological realities of early colonial encounters provides physical evidence for scholars examining historical trauma, indigenous demographic declines, and cultural transformations in folk traditions.