Scientists report recovering fragments of variola virus DNA, the virus that causes smallpox, from the naturally mummified remains of two Indigenous people buried in northern Chile. The study, drawing on DNA analysis of materials about 500 years old, indicates how smallpox likely arrives in the region during European colonisation.
Smallpox is the only human infectious disease known to have been eradicated worldwide. While the findings document that smallpox genetic material can persist in ancient remains, the reports emphasize that bringing the virus back to life would not happen automatically from DNA fragments. Recreating an infectious agent would require deliberate, controlled laboratory work, which is a separate question from the discovery of historical DNA.
Across outlets, the central points remain consistent: the DNA fragments are linked to variola virus, the remains come from northern Chile, and the timeline connects to colonisation-era spread. The coverage differs mainly in how broadly it frames the “revival” question—some focus on the historical implications of the DNA, while others stress that laboratory reconstruction is a distinct, deliberate undertaking.
