DNA From Chilean Mummies Confirms Europeans Brought Smallpox to Americas
Genetic analysis of two mummified individuals recovered from the Camarones site in northern Chile revealed ancient variola (smallpox) virus DNA. The viral genomes, dated to between 1492 and 1631, belong to an extinct lineage that sits evolutionarily between medieval European strains and later variants, providing the first direct molecular link between Old‑World smallpox and the epidemics that devastated Indigenous populations after European contact. The study, published in Science, was led by Bruno Romero González of Trinity College Dublin together with collaborators from the Universidad de Chile. Their findings confirm that European colonizers introduced smallpox to the New World during the early Spanish conquest, an event that scholars estimate caused the death of three to four million Indigenous people, representing up to 90 % of some populations. The research also shows that the virus reached an evolutionary “optimum” that allowed rapid spread among immunologically naïve peoples, illustrating how historic demographic shifts shaped pathogen evolution.
Entities: Bruno Romero González · CAM9 lineage · Chilean mummies (Camarones site) · Trinity College Dublin · Variola virus (smallpox)
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 5 SOURCES] The recovered viral genomes belong to an extinct lineage positioned between medieval European smallpox strains and later ones. (phylogenetic analysis of ancient genomes)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Ancient variola virus DNA was recovered from two mummified individuals in northern Chile. (genetic analysis of remains from Camarones Cove)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Lead author of the study is Bruno Romero González, a geneticist at Trinity College Dublin. (author affiliation)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The infections are dated to between 1492 and 1631, within the early Spanish colonial period. (radiocarbon dating of skeletal remains)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The extinct lineage detected in the Chilean mummies is designated “CAM9”. (naming by study authors)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Smallpox epidemics caused the death of an estimated three to four million Indigenous people, up to 90 % of some populations. (historical demographic estimates)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The research was published in the journal Science. (journal publication)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The study provides direct molecular evidence that European colonizers introduced smallpox to the Americas during the Spanish conquest. (genomic linkage between Old‑World and New‑World strains)