Virus found in child mummy suggests recent rise of deadly smallpox

Ancient rashes that scar the faces of Egyptian mummies have long been cited as evidence that smallpox ravaged the region more than 3000 years ago. But now, a study of viral DNA extracted from a 17th century child mummy—the oldest known sample of any virus—suggests that the deadliest form of smallpox emerged in humans much more recently, just in time to hitchhike with New World explorers and decimate populations< ... Read more »