Medieval DNA suggests Columbus didn't trigger syphilis epidemic in Europe

ScienceMag.org ^ | August 13, 2020 | Charlotte Hartley

[SunkenCiv]

Researchers have long clashed over the circumstances of the 1495 European syphilis epidemic. The so-called Columbian theory posits that Columbus and his crew carried the bacterium, or an earlier progenitor of it, when they returned to Europe in 1493 after their American journey. Skeletons of Native Americans who died prior to Columbus's arrival show bone lesions from Treponemal diseases, including yaws and bejel, and some researchers suspect syphilis was also present. However, other researchers believe syphilis itself circulated in Europe for centuries and became more virulent in the late 1400s. They point to a growing body of archaeological evidence: skeletal remains from across Europe with suggestive bone lesions, some possibly dating to the 14th century. Yet the evidence has always been inconclusive: Bone lesions can be caused by any of the Treponemal diseases, and some people with syphilis may not develop skeletal signs.

Now, a team of scientists has examined nine skeletons with suspected syphilis from five archaeological sites in Finland, Estonia, and the Netherlands. The researchers ground the bones into powder and analyzed it for signs of Treponemal DNA, which is notoriously difficult to recover because the bacterium is present only in small amounts and decomposes quickly...

The researchers managed to recover and sequence Treponemal DNA from four samples and compared the sequences with a modern syphilis strain. They used a molecular clock technique that tracks changes in the genes over time to estimate the ages of the strains, and calibrated those ages with carbon dating of the skeletons and wood of the coffins they were buried in...

Although the radiocarbon dates are inherently uncertain and are bounded at the upper end by dates into the early 1600s...

[SMARTY]

It’s been a while back but I remember reading that the disease was already here in the native population

[Varda]

Not necessarily, they're still debating it.

Europeans could have been infected with syphilis before Columbus set sails to America

[SunkenCiv]

WIth the improvement in DNA technology, there could be an answer. Amusing that so many of the samples have been from Scandinavia, since the Vikings are known to have been in North America.

[ThanhPhero]

I wonder how many of the apparent psycho and otherwise crazy kings had this sort of problem? With the centuries of inbreeding the chances are pretty high.

[Beowulf9]

You know it’s funny. I grew up hating Hugh Hefner. When your a young girl and all the boys in your most modest years are totally learning to be crude creeps toward you because of that whole Playboy thing you get to hate the man.

But as of late I ran across on YouTube the show, Playboy Penthouse and the theme by Cy Coleman I love, the great jazz guests and the entire format (which was not sexist it seems) was really a very good show. Not ever heard of it back then I guess because it was banned in certain cities but it was really good entertainment. We don’’t really have good variety shows like that now, and I did like the idea of men and women looking classy. No baggy pants dropping down past their knees, the women looked pretty. No man buns. A cool pad with good music. I’d like to go to that party!

As for Hef, well, he certainly went from a man attracted to women to a man who sunk to rather deplorable levels but I find somehow I do not hate the guy anymore, although he didn’t do this country any favors.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fwN09HzpYBQ