Smallpox was once one of the most destructive diseases of mankind, which was completely overcome
Researchers at the Eugenio Science InstituteMedea and the University of Milan in Italy compared the genomes of modern and historical variola virus strains to trace its evolution. The scientists found that all the different strains of smallpox descended from a single common ancestor and that a small fraction of the genetic components found in Viking Age skeletons persisted into the 18th century.
Scientists used computer modelingto determine when the virus emerged. The rate of evolution depends on the length of time over which it is measured, so viruses appear to change faster over a short period of time and slower over a longer period of time, the scientists explain. Using this effect and virus genomes from different eras, scientists have determined that the smallpox virus appeared more than 3,800 years ago.
Until recently, it was believed that smallpox appearedand became widespread only in the 17th century, the authors of the work explain. In 2020 alone, in a study of Viking Age skeletal and dental samples, scientists identified several strains of smallpox and confirmed the existence of the virus at least 1,000 years earlier.
However, some historical records and strangePock-marked scars on the body of Pharaoh Ramses II suggested that the disease may have existed before, the study authors note. The results of computer simulations for the first time confirm this historical theory and the ancient origin of the smallpox virus.
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