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New research has uncovered the 3,500-year history of sheeppox virus by extracting ancient DNA from historic parchment, including the 1,000-year-old York Gospels. The study shows that parchment made from livestock hides can preserve genetic traces of diseases affecting animals centuries ago. Combined with DNA from Bronze Age sheep teeth, the findings reveal that sheeppox has threatened sheep herds for more than 3,700 years and provides new insights into how the virus evolved and spread alongside animal domestication.