The 500-Year-Old Mummies That Prove Colonialism’s Deadliest Weapon Wasn’t What You Think
Two 500-year-old mummies carry the genetic signature of smallpox—proving the virus came from Europe, but not as a deliberate weapon. The real killer was geographic isolation. This DNA evidence forces us to rethink colonialism’s narrative of blame and guilt, replacing it with a haunting truth: the deadliest conqueror was invisible.