1789 smallpox epidemic from First Fleet

A new study published in Nature Human Behaviour used modeling to trace the 1789 smallpox epidemic among Aboriginal Australians to the First Fleet. The research suggests the disease originated from the British colony in Sydney, not from Makassan traders in the north. The epidemic may have killed up to 220,000 Indigenous Australians and spread along coastlines and rivers, persisting for up to 21 years. The study involved researchers from multiple Australian universities and the Gujaga Foundation, and highlights the devastating demographic and cultural impact still felt today.