Ļć½¶Ö±²„

Mississippi State researchers publish landmark infectious disease study in ā€˜Scienceā€™

Contact: Sarah Nicholas

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”An article by Mississippi State Professor of Anthropology Molly Zuckerman and her graduate student Lydia Bailey has been published in ā€œScience,ā€ one of the foremost scientific journals in the world.

Zuckerman and Baileyā€™s piece examines new evidence from ancient DNA that pushes the origins of diseases closely related to syphilis back more than 5,000 years and strongly supports an American rather than European origin for a close relative of the disease. Drawing on recent paleogenomic discoveries from Colombia and Mexico, the article demonstrates how advances in ancient DNA research are transforming long-standing debates about human disease, evolution and global health. The article is available at .

Zuckerman said the research is important because it ā€œmoves us further into understanding the origins and adaptability of a disease that is harmfully resurging in human populations, especially in the U.S., and thus its potential for future change.ā€

Zuckerman said her career was profoundly shaped by her graduate mentor who intentionally included her in research on the origins of syphilis. She said now her inclusion of Bailey in current research is ā€œa meaningful way to pay that mentorship forwardā€ by providing the same kind of hands-on, scholarly opportunity that once helped launch her own research path.

An applied anthropology masterā€™s student from Lafayette, New Jersey, Bailey said her inclusion in the project highlights how examining infectious diseases ā€œin deep time can inform how we think about the roles of human mobility, environment and behavior in shaping infectious disease spread today.ā€ As she pursues a research career focused on childrenā€™s health and public policy, she said publishing in ā€œScienceā€ is especially significant because it allows the team to share these insights ā€œbeyond anthropology and into public conversations that can help destigmatize infectious disease,ā€ ultimately supporting more informed and equitable public health efforts.

For more information aboutĢżMSUā€™sĢżCollege of Arts and SciencesĢżandĢżits Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, visitĢżĢżand .

Ļć½¶Ö±²„ is taking care of what matters. Learn more atĢż.