Smallpox
Smallpox New Discovery
15/01/23 09:48 Filed in: History
Smallpox has been a scourge and major source of human deaths in recent history or centuries. It is one of the most lethal and frightening viral diseases known to humans. Amazingly, smallpox has been eradicated across the planet and is now only found within Level 4 containment facilities. There has been a recent discovery that the virus has been present among humans longer than previously believed.
"While the origins of smallpox has remained a mystery for centuries, researchers now believe that it dates back 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Until recently, the earliest genetic evidence of smallpox, the variola virus, was from the 1600s. And in 2020, researchers found evidence of it in the dental remains of Viking skeletons, pushing its existence 1,000 years earlier.
Now, Italian scientists have used a mathematical equation to pinpoint the beginnings of smallpox, and coupled with pox scarring seen on ancient Egyptian mummies, they have pushed the emergence of the virus back 3,800 years."
A link to the article.
"While the origins of smallpox has remained a mystery for centuries, researchers now believe that it dates back 2,000 years earlier than previously thought.
Until recently, the earliest genetic evidence of smallpox, the variola virus, was from the 1600s. And in 2020, researchers found evidence of it in the dental remains of Viking skeletons, pushing its existence 1,000 years earlier.
Now, Italian scientists have used a mathematical equation to pinpoint the beginnings of smallpox, and coupled with pox scarring seen on ancient Egyptian mummies, they have pushed the emergence of the virus back 3,800 years."
A link to the article.
Comments
Smallpox Vaccine Strains
23/07/20 08:19 Filed in: History
I came across an interesting story. Smallpox was one of the disease scourges of history. It is now conquered from the world and probably found in Level IV deadly pathogen labs. We began to conquer the disease when Edward Jenner developed an inoculation technique by using milder cowpox to infect people to develop immunity. Queen Elizabeth I is believed to have had smallpox in her earlier girlhood years. Just think of how history would have changed if she had succumbed.
Back to the story where scientists have determined the smallpox strains used to vaccinate Civil War soldiers. The story is here.
Back to the story where scientists have determined the smallpox strains used to vaccinate Civil War soldiers. The story is here.
