The origin story of syphilis goes back far longer than we thought
Summary
Ars Technica reports that a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome from Colombia suggests treponemal pathogens are older than previously thought, complicating Columbian-origin narratives for syphilis. The article discusses how the Naples siege and associated historical blame games shaped perceptions, and presents evidence for a much deeper and more global history of syphilis-related pathogens.