The Genesis Plague (2010)

learned that from the man who’d given him the map to Eden.
    ‘When Lilith’s virus enters the host cell’s nucleus, replication can only occur when the viral DNA successfully binds to a matching gene sequence found on the male Y chromosome. And we believe that that gene sequence is specific to males of distinct Arab ancestry. In the absence of this specific Y chromosome gene marker, the virus remains dormant. So a female, or a male of non-Arab descent, can carry the virus, but not manifest its symptoms.’
    ‘Come on, Stokes. I’m no scientist, but that sounds a bit outlandish to me,’ Flaherty scoffed. ‘I’ve never heard of anything like that. There’s no “Arab” gene. That’s ridiculous.’
    Stokes was undeterred. ‘The Y chromosome makes up less than half of one per cent of the male genome. But unlike most other genes, the strands of the Y chromosome do not recombine over successive generations. Quite simply, that means the Y chromosome is transcribed almost perfectly from father to son with virtually zero mutation.’
    ‘He’s right,’ Brooke said. ‘It’s how ancestral lineage is determined.’
    This aspect of genetics, Brooke knew firsthand, had been widely adopted even by anthropologists. Human migrations out from Africa brought ancient peoples first into the Middle East. There, climate and other environmental factors caused slight adaptive mutations. The Middle East became a nexus for successive migrations pushing out across Eurasia and eventually across land bridges to the American continent and as far south as Australia (thanks to intercontinental land bridges resulting from dramatic drops in sea level brought on by the Ice Age). And every step of the human journey brought greater diversity - including slight changes both in the paternally transcribed Y chromosomes and the maternally transcribed mitochondrial DNA.
    Stokes added, ‘Mapping the Y chromosome is how scientists know that 16 million men living today are direct descendants of Ghengis Khan. A distinct genetic marker unites 8 per cent of all men living in the former Mongol Empire. Similarly, the skeletons we found in that cave were among the earliest ancestors of modern Arabs. When we compared their Y chromosomes to modern Middle Eastern men, the similarities were startling. So that brings us to a most compelling crossroads.’ He held out his hands like a magician. ‘You’re a smart man, Agent Flaherty. So I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.’
    Flaherty certainly understood what Stokes was implying, though he wasn’t buying it. ‘You’re hoping to recreate Lilith’s plague.’
    ‘Bravo,’ Stokes said, grinning.
    ‘You can’t be serious,’ Flaherty scoffed. ‘If you’re bitter about losing your leg, you might want to consider psychotherapy instead.’
    ‘I assure you this is no joke, Agent Flaherty,’ Stokes said.
    Brooke, too, was incredulous. ‘You’re saying you’ve created a plague that kills only males of Arab ancestry?’
    ‘Give or take,’ Stokes said.
    ‘Give or take?’ Flaherty said, horrified. ‘So you’re playing around with a virus that you don’t even understand?’
    ‘It’s impossible to account for every mutation. We can’t anticipate every scenario,’ he admitted.
    ‘But you developed a vaccine, right?’ Brooke said. ‘I mean if this virus is from six thousand years ago, there’s no guarantee that anyone will be immune.’
    ‘There is no vaccine, Ms Thompson,’ Stokes said. ‘And by the time one is developed, the balance of humankind will be reset, just as God intended when he sent Lilith over those mountains so long ago. Lilith had been snuffed out before her destiny was complete. We’re merely giving her another chance to finish what she started. It’s a perfect solution to solve the hostilities in the Middle East. No soldiers or weapons needed. We let Mother Nature do what she does best.’
    ‘The DNA would have degraded,’ Brooke said with conviction. ‘The DNA in those teeth wouldn’t have been any good.’
    ‘You’re missing the point, Ms Thompson. The teeth from the skeletons in the burial chamber only confirmed the genetic profiles of the plague victims. The teeth gave us a template for the Y chromosome marker. And you’re absolutely correct: the viral DNA found in those specimens wasn’t well preserved. However, thanks to those brazen Mesopotamians who managed to execute Lilith, some of the viral DNA had been perfectly preserved. Let me show