A remarkable new study says European explorers weren’t the first to bring tuberculosis to the Americas, as has long been suggested.
An earlier strain of the disease existed long before Christopher Columbus’s arrival — brought from Africa by seals and sea lions, it says.
“It was a surprise for us, too,” said Anne Stone, professor of human evolution at Arizona State University and a co-author of the study, which was published this week in the journal Nature. “We had not thought about seals.”
h/t nv53
They were probably non-native, white seals, so we still have to feel guilty.
I always think that seals are the rats of the sea. Shoot them when you can and improve the fish populations.
Didn’t Europeans come to American during the ice age, hunting seals along the ice shelf, then got swamped by immigration from “Native Americans” who came after the ice had melted?
I’m sorry, Tim, but now the Army Corps of Engineers is going to have to bury you under 30 tons of rock even though Bill is no longer president.
All the more reason to increase the seal hunt.
Noticed the comments were closed, wonder why.. was it to make sure that white guilt was not in danger of being overthrown?
Does this story have an official seal of approval, ark, ark.
A devastating blow to the guilt industry – right up there with the fact pre-columbian native culture had a thriving slave trade and routinely went to war with tribes over territorial control or simply to steal their production.
Theft, murder, warfare, inhumanity and hegemony did not have to be taught to north American aboriginals – these came naturally.
A “new study” that is as full of it as the last. Just because it suits ones political beliefs does not make it true.
A story about tuberculosis existing in pre-1492 North America appeared years ago in Nat’l Geographic – before it changed its name to Natural Catastrophic and started blaming everything on global warming.
“We had not thought about seals.”
Not surprising ?, as that would entail observation and thought.
Need to get out more ?
Sarc/
Aye…most of them British, I’m almost certain. 😉
We Need to bring out the seal beaters quick. Surprising they never looked into animals before. After all it was Asia minor rats that brought the black plague from the spice , silk trade on ships. I guess its easier to blame whitey for all your problems.
For shame, Ms. McMillan, representing highly speculative BS as science.
On the other hand, if you would serve us all a shot of Scotch to go with it, maybe you’d be redeemed.
“Didn’t Europeans come to American during the ice age”
What evidence is there?
Dig up Kennicott Man and hang him again.
So now we know these white seals are too blame, can we get the EU F Wits to buy seal products again, as seal killing is now assuaging the white guilt of Canada?
So are the Metis ancestral fathers off the hook.
“What evidence is there?”
Ummm. I saw it on the Discovery Channel? I am pretty sure they rode on Megalodon’s back, a la Fonzie.
My comment was a little tongue in cheek. But there was a Discovery Channel “Documentary” on the idea.
[“Didn’t Europeans come to American during the ice age”
What evidence is there?]
Keniwick Man
Cactus Hill Virginia (Solutrean stone tools)from 15-180000 year horizon.
Clovis (similar to Solutrean)totally unrelated to any contempory Asian tool craft