Scientists Extract Evidence of Smallpox from 17th Century Mummy

Scientist have discovered genetic evidence of smallpox from the remains of a 17th century mummy found in a crypt beneath a Lithuanian church.  The early DNA provides a timeline of the highly infectious disease that was finally eradicated in the 20th century.  The mummy is of the lower half of a child. Samples of the mummy’s skin were taken by Canadian and Australian researchers, who were then able to reconstruct the decomposing genome of the virus. The mummified child, one of...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - jeudi 8 décembre 2016