Viking DNA Traces CCR5 Resistance

A 2025 study of Viking Age DNA traced a rare HIV-resistant mutation, called CCR5 delta 32, back to a person who lived near the Black Sea between about 6,700 and 9,000 years ago. Researchers analyzing more than 3,000 ancient and modern genomes found that this mutation disables a key immune protein that most HIV strains use to enter cells, which helps explain why people who inherit two copies can be highly resistant to infection.

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