500-year-old Inca mummies provide first DNA proof Europeans brought smallpox to the Americas

Ancient DNA recovered from two mummified Indigenous people in northern Chile has provided the first direct genetic proof that European colonizers brought smallpox to the Americas. The findings include the earliest known smallpox genomes from the continent and fill a long-standing gap in the history of one of the world’s deadliest diseases...

More info: https://archaeologymag.com/2026/08/dna-proof-europeans-brought-smallpox-to-the-americas/

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