Study Published in Nature Links Syphilis Origins to Americas Before Columbus, Led by Kirsten Bos and Johannes Krause

Dec 18, 2024, 06:44 PM

A new study published in the journal Nature, led by researchers Kirsten Bos and Johannes Krause from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, suggests that syphilis originated in the Americas prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus. The research, which involved analyzing ancient DNA, supports the theory that European colonialism contributed to the global spread of the disease. This finding adds to the long-standing debate among scientists regarding the origins of syphilis, which has been a topic of contention for centuries.