Did the Romans destroy Europe's HIV resistance?

New Scientist ^ | Wednesday, September 3, 2008 | Matt Walker

[SunkenCiv]

The gene in question codes for a protein receptor called CCR5. The HIV virus binds to this receptor before entering cells. One gene variant, called CCR5-Delta32, has 32 DNA base pairs missing and produces a receptor that HIV cannot bind to, which prevents the virus from entering the cells. People with this variant have some resistance to HIV infection and also take longer to develop AIDS.

Generally, only people in Europe and western Asia carry the variant, and it becomes less and less frequent as you move south. For example, more than 15 per cent of people in some areas of northern Europe carry CCR5-Delta32, compared with fewer than 4 per cent of Greeks (see map). It is not clear why this is so, since the HIV pandemic -- which began in the early 1980s -- is too recent to have influenced the distribution of the variant.

However, the changing frequency of the variant reflects the changing boundary of the Roman Empire from 500 BC to AD 500, says Eric Faure at the University of Provence in Marseille, France.

[Antoninus]

In fact, homosexual acts were accepted among the Romans too. There was a saying about Julius Caesar that went something like this: “To every wife he was a husband, to every husband a wife.”

This only happened in the late Republic and the practice was restricted mainly to the elites who were educated by Greek pedagogues.

There were still plenty of Romans who found the practice of sodomy and pederasty abhorrent.

[Antoninus]

Hell, Hadrian was an out and out flamer. Built a city and named for his boyfriend who drowned. But nobody refers to an unnatural act of intercourse as “going Roman”.

That's because the practice was never as accepted in the Roman west as it was in the Greek east. Those who participated were often the subjects of mockery.

[SunkenCiv]

:’D

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, that was ridiculous. At its peak, the Spanish Lady influenza pandemic killed more PER WEEK than AIDS has killed in its known history.

[SunkenCiv]

I thought it was the Egyptians...

[InABunkerUnderSF]

He was at least half Syrian.

True, but by that time, what WAS an ethnic Roman? Trajan was from Spain, Septimius was from North Africa and while both were from families that had been Roman citizens for generations the Romans were never great respecters of ethnic purity.

[Antoninus]

True, but by that time, what WAS an ethnic Roman?

Being Roman implied more than just ethnic purity. They didn't really even speak in strictly ethnic terms in ancient times. Being a Roman was mainly a cultural thing. Elagabalus may have had a Roman father, but his mother was culturally (and probably ethnically) from the East. He certainly inherited more from her than from him.

[InABunkerUnderSF]

No argument there. He and Mommy got what they deserved in the end.

[Pontiac]

At its peak, the Spanish Lady influenza pandemic killed more PER WEEK than AIDS has killed in its known history.

Not to mention someone with AIDS can live relatively normally for years after infection.

A person could leave for work perfectly healthy, contract the flue and die before reaching work.

The tendency in the western world to inflate the importance and severity of every minor problem drives me nuts.

The quality of life in the world today is the best it has ever been in recorded history.

Yes there are problems that need to be addressed but not every one of them is an emergency. AIDS is a problem. One possible solution is known and has been known for decades. The problem is that it requires behavior changes in the population of a certain politically powerful group. (Powerful beyond what its numbers would suggest)

The real problem is that so called educated people buy in to this over inflation of importance.

If you point out this exaggeration of importance you are labeled insensitive or homophobe. And naturally no one will ever debate the facts with you. You are just shouted down.