TWiV 822: Viking variola variants
- October 28, 2021
- Tagged as: ancient dna, booster, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Smallpox, Vaccine, variola virus, Viking age, viral, virology, virus, viruses
Rich reviews the history of smallpox and the discovery of variola viral genomes in ancient DNA from human remains throughout Northern Europe, which pushes back the earliest date of smallpox virus infection to ~600–1050 CE, overlapping the Viking Age.