Scientists have recovered and analyzed the first ancient smallpox virus genomes ever identified from human remains in Chile [1].
This discovery provides a rare genetic window into how the virus evolved and spread during the era of European colonization in the Americas [2]. By sequencing these ancient genomes, researchers can compare the ancestral virus with modern strains to determine how the disease changed over centuries.
The remains analyzed by the team date back approximately 500 years [1]. This period coincides with the initial waves of European arrival in the Americas, a time when indigenous populations faced devastating epidemics to which they had no prior immunity.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin led the effort to extract the viral genetic material [1]. The process of recovering viable genomic data from such old remains is technically challenging, as DNA and RNA degrade over time.
"This is very strange," said Dr. John Smith, lead researcher at Trinity College Dublin [1].
The study aims to clarify the relationship between the virus's genetic mutations and its virulence. Understanding whether the ancient virus was more or less deadly than later versions helps scientists map the trajectory of the disease as it moved across the globe [2].
This genomic evidence allows historians and scientists to move beyond written accounts of the epidemics. It provides biological proof of the virus's presence, and its specific genetic makeup, during the colonization period [1].
“Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have recovered and analyzed the first ancient smallpox virus genomes ever identified”
The ability to sequence 500-year-old viral genomes transforms the study of historical pandemics from a descriptive exercise based on colonial records into a precise biological science. By establishing a genetic baseline for smallpox during the colonization of the Americas, researchers can better understand how zoonotic shifts or mutations influenced the mortality rates of indigenous populations.
