Researchers Identify Oldest Known Cold Virus in 18th-Century Woman's Lungs
Scientists have identified the oldest known human RNA virus, a rhinovirus responsible for the common cold, in the lung tissue of a woman who lived in London approximately 250 years ago. This discovery was made possible through genetic analysis of preserved medical specimens. The research team, led by Erin Barnett at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, utilized DNA sequencing techniques to recover the virus's RNA genome from lung samples preserved in alcohol. These samples were found in the Hunterian Anatomy Museum at the University of Glasgow. The RNA recovered was highly fragmented, but researchers successfully reconstructed the entire genome of the rhinovirus, which falls within the human rhinovirus A group. This extinct lineage is closely related to the modern A19 genotype, with a common ancestor dating back to the 1600s. 
