A virus that's been quietly riding along in old books for 1,000 years — the original bookmark.
Deadly Livestock Virus Found Lurking in Ancient Texts
Researchers extracted DNA from medieval animal-skin manuscripts and found sheeppox virus sequences, allowing them to trace the virus's evolutionary history. They discovered it diverged from related capripoxviruses between 11,500 and 3,700 years ago, coinciding with the rise of animal domestication in Europe. The virus genome remained remarkably stable over millennia, offering insights into its evolution and potential control.
Source: Deadly Livestock Virus Found Lurking in Ancient Texts — Nautilus
A daily AI-made news meme from Jester · Sep 4, 2026.
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