4 ms·

Aids: Origin of pandemic 'was 1920s Kinshasa'

41 points by disbelief 12y ago

ajarmst 12y ago
This is hardly news. The origin locale and timeframe (acquired zoonotically from Chimpanzees north of Kinshasa, probably around 1908, travelling by river to Kinshasa and Brazzaville, where social conditions permitted amplification and adaptation to human hosts) have been strongly supported by evidence for about a decade. David Quammen discusses it in detail in his book "Spillover". While this study adds more evidence supporting the theory, that area and timeframe was pretty much accepted as fact in the research community for some time.
- k-mcgrady 12y ago
  It's news for those of us not in the AIDS research community.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    That book is very widely spread outside of the AIDS research community, and is only peripherally about AIDS/HIV. Even lay-people are reading it in droves. Definitely a good read if you have the time.
    - k-mcgrady 12y ago
      Thanks, I'll check it out.
      - omonra 12y ago
        I'd recommend The Origins of Aids - it's a great book (wrote for the laymen) that explores this very topic. Fascinating read - published a few years ago.
kretor 12y ago
A Kinshasa origin around 1900 was already suggested in 2008: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95253422 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9525342...
kazinator 12y ago
> roaring sex trade Possible allusion to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties
- x201s 12y ago
  Roaring Twenties comes from standard use of the word roaring in British English http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/roaring http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/roaring
waterfowl 12y ago
it's real strange to me that the BBC says "Aids" and not "AIDS" when it's an acronym. Still interesting. edit: especially when they say HIV and not Hiv
- feynmanistheman 12y ago
  The Brits seem to do it for acronyms you pronounce, i.e. Fifa or Aids, but not the ones you spell out like HIV.
  - chriswarbo 12y ago
    > acronyms you pronounce > the ones you spell out If you're looking to distinguish these, you can use the term "initialism" for the latter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Nomenclature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Nomenclature
    - feynmanistheman 12y ago
      Ah! Thanks, I knew there was a word for it.
rafaelm 12y ago
Radiolab did a pretty interesting episode [1] regarding investigation in to Patient Zero. They talk about Typhoid Mary and Aids. I highly recommend it. [1]-http://www.radiolab.org/story/169879-patient-zero/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/169879-patient-zero/

41 points by disbelief 12y ago

This is hardly news. The origin locale and timeframe (acquired zoonotically from Chimpanzees north of Kinshasa, probably around 1908, travelling by river to Kinshasa and Brazzaville, where social conditions permitted amplification and adaptation to human hosts) have been strongly supported by evidence for about a decade. David Quammen discusses it in detail in his book "Spillover". While this study adds more evidence supporting the theory, that area and timeframe was pretty much accepted as fact in the research community for some time.

k-mcgrady 12y ago
It's news for those of us not in the AIDS research community.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  That book is very widely spread outside of the AIDS research community, and is only peripherally about AIDS/HIV. Even lay-people are reading it in droves. Definitely a good read if you have the time.
  - k-mcgrady 12y ago
    Thanks, I'll check it out.
    - omonra 12y ago
      I'd recommend The Origins of Aids - it's a great book (wrote for the laymen) that explores this very topic. Fascinating read - published a few years ago.

kretor 12y ago

A Kinshasa origin around 1900 was already suggested in 2008: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95253422 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9525342...

kazinator 12y ago

> roaring sex trade Possible allusion to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties

x201s 12y ago
Roaring Twenties comes from standard use of the word roaring in British English http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/roaring http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/roaring

waterfowl 12y ago

it's real strange to me that the BBC says "Aids" and not "AIDS" when it's an acronym. Still interesting. edit: especially when they say HIV and not Hiv

feynmanistheman 12y ago
The Brits seem to do it for acronyms you pronounce, i.e. Fifa or Aids, but not the ones you spell out like HIV.
- chriswarbo 12y ago
  > acronyms you pronounce > the ones you spell out If you're looking to distinguish these, you can use the term "initialism" for the latter. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Nomenclature http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym#Nomenclature
  - feynmanistheman 12y ago
    Ah! Thanks, I knew there was a word for it.

rafaelm 12y ago

Radiolab did a pretty interesting episode [1] regarding investigation in to Patient Zero. They talk about Typhoid Mary and Aids. I highly recommend it. [1]-http://www.radiolab.org/story/169879-patient-zero/ http://www.radiolab.org/story/169879-patient-zero/