On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
New genetic evidence supports the view that Columbus introduced syphilis to Europe. The first recorded syphilis epidemic happened in 1495, fueling centuries of debate as to whether the germ came from the Americas or existed previously in the Old World but had not been distinguished from other skin-lesion diseases until 1500. To uncover syphilis's origins, scientists at Emory University and their colleagues genetically compared strains of the microbe from around the world with related bacteria. They found that syphilis's closest kin were South American variants of yaws, a disease spread by skin contact and limited to hot and humid areas. One theory suggests that syphilis became sexually transmitted only after it reached Europe, where more clothing and cooler climes limited the ways it could otherwise spread. Ultimately the progenitors of syphilis may be as old as humanity, hitching a ride with migrants to the Americas millennia before Columbus, speculate researchers in the January 15 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
