{"id":"19040a1a-2862-4f22-8198-e2c5bf2c0829","url":"https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/09/medieval-manuscripts-are-biological-time-capsules-for-deadly-sheeppox-virus/","domain":"arstechnica.com","outlet":{"name":"Ars Technica","country":"US","cred":4,"lean":-1,"curated":true},"title":"Medieval manuscripts are \"biological time capsules\" for deadly sheeppox virus","plainHeadline":"Medieval parchment reveals 3,500-year history of sheeppox virus","rewrite":{"model":null,"at":null},"summary":["Scientists sequenced sheeppox DNA preserved in parchment from medieval manuscripts.","Study aims to trace the virus's evolution over the last 3,500 years.","Paraffin-based DNA in animal skins shows ancient pathogen traces in archives.","Earliest written references to sheeppox date to the first century CE in Roman texts.","Research suggests historical outbreaks affected Eurasian sheep herds for millennia."],"topics":["Science","Health","Education"],"lang":"eng","publishedAt":"2026-09-04T19:01:02.000Z","ingestedAt":"2026-09-04T19:46:46.445Z","story":null}