Ancient human DNA suggests Columbus may not have brought syphilis to Europe after all

Thu, 01/25/2024 - 10:36

a picture shows ancient bones in situ in gravelly soil. The skeleton's shins are folded back against the person's chest. — Ancient remains dating back around 2,000 years suggest a cousin of syphilis spread around South America then, but not the sexually transmitted kind.
Dr. Jose Filippini

2,000-year-old bones add evidence against the idea Columbus brought syphilis to Europe.
A European outbreak of the STI in the late 1400s was long blamed on the conquistadors.
But DNA analysis doesn't stack up with that story, a new study found.

The idea that Christopher Colombus brought back syphilis from the New World might be completely wrong.

A long-standing hypothesis held that Spanish conquistadors had picked up the sexually-transmitted infection (STI) and introduced it to Europe in the late 1400s.