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Smallpox DNA Proves Colonial Origin | San Antonio News
Scientists have uncovered the strongest genetic evidence yet that smallpox reached the Americas via European colonization, thanks to DNA analysis of 13 ancient Chilean mummies. Two individuals, a man and a woman, died between 1492 and 1631 from a strain genetically identical to European smallpox, confirming the virus’s origin and devastating impact on Indigenous populations with no prior immunity. This discovery not only validates historical accounts but also reveals how the virus evolved to become more lethal, leaving a biological legacy that still speaks to the human cost of colonization…
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