# Scientists find ancient disease DNA in 1,000-year-old book

> Ancient sheeppox virus DNA discovered in 1,000-year-old York Gospels.
- Title: Scientists find ancient disease DNA in 1,000-year-old book
- Summary: Ancient sheeppox virus DNA discovered in 1,000-year-old York Gospels. Scientists found sheeppox virus DNA in 1,000-year-old York Gospels, suggesting…
- Keywords: york gospels, sheeppox virus, university college dublin, ancient dna, parchment, cross-species infection, gaming, sports, Scientists, find, ancient, disease
- Source: Dexerto — https://dexerto.com/entertainment/scientists-find-ancient-disease-dna-in-1000-year-old-book-3415346
- Author: Matthew Benson
- Published: 2026-10-04T14:15:15+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: york gospels, sheeppox virus, university college dublin, ancient dna, parchment, cross-species infection, gaming, sports
## Ancient disease DNA discovery
Scientists studying a 1,000-year-old Christian manuscript discovered traces of an ancient disease.
## York Gospels origin
The York Gospels were written in Canterbury by Anglo-Saxon scribes in the 10th century and preserved in York Minster.
## Sheeppox virus found
University College Dublin detected sheeppox virus traces in the animal skins used to make the parchment.
## Unexpected animal source
The animal skins were from calves or goats, not sheep, suggesting cross-species infections or contamination during parchment production.
## Biological time capsule
University College Dublin described the gospels as a 'biological time capsule' preserving evidence of ancient virus outbreaks.

> biological time capsule
## Ancient pathogen threat
The sheeppox virus has affected Eurasian sheep herds for at least three-and-a-half millennia and remains a threat today.
## Key takeaway

Scientists found sheeppox virus DNA in 1,000-year-old York Gospels, suggesting cross-species infections or contamination during parchment production.