According to a BBC article, US scientists have traced one of the original strands of the HIV virus to Leopoldville, the capital of former Belgian Congo (today Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo). They estimate it was transferred from ape to human between 1884 and 1924 and was able to spread as the colonial city grew in population density. Interestingly, 19 out of 20 modern HIV infections can now be traced to this strand.
The thing I'm not sure about is why, instead of spending millions of dollars on research, they didn't just ask Kanye. I'm pretty sure that he already knew where the virus came from: white people started it to kill black people. No?
5 comments:
Check the history of Belgian Congo ... one of the most evil places to ever exist. Must be a cosmic joke.
King Leopold's Ghost ...
i haven't read it... but heart of darkness is set in Congo. i have read this.
p.s. there is a dif between capitol and capital...
Of course you read that book you're a grenouille
on a different note: Even though you don't hold sharks in the same high regard that you once did I thought you would be interested in this fine read - Capuzzo, Michael (2001) Close to shore: a true story of terror in an age of innocence.
It has been re-released (2003) with a new subtitle-- the terrifying shark attacks of 1916.
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