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The Story of Malaria, The Killer of Half of Humanity
Long before Thanos snapped his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War, another villain successfully killed half of humanity.
Malaria is a simple parasite, transmitted by a mosquito bite. But this deadly disease, which has been around as long as homo sapiens, has killed more than all wars and natural disasters combined. It has wiped out cities, destroyed empires, ruined colonies, and may be responsible for 50 billion deaths, among them Alexander the Great and Marcus Aurelius (allegedly).
Malaria's role in history is perhaps more under-appreciated than anything else. Here's two examples: Many…
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