up ▁imm un ities . ▁Many ▁island - based ▁groups ▁were ▁anni h il ated . ▁The ▁Car ib s ▁and ▁A raw aks ▁of ▁the ▁Car ib bean ▁nearly ▁ceased ▁to ▁exist , ▁as ▁did ▁the ▁Be oth u ks ▁of ▁New found land . ▁While ▁disease ▁ra ged ▁swift ly ▁through ▁the ▁dens ely ▁populated ▁emp ires ▁of ▁Mes o amer ica , ▁the ▁more ▁scattered ▁populations ▁of ▁North ▁America ▁saw ▁a ▁slower ▁spread . ▁ ▁The ▁European ▁colon ization ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁killed ▁so ▁many ▁people ▁it ▁contributed ▁to ▁clim atic ▁change ▁and ▁temporary ▁global ▁cool ing , ▁according ▁to ▁scient ists ▁from ▁University ▁College ▁London . ▁According ▁to ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁research ers , ▁U CL ▁Geography ▁Professor ▁Mark ▁Mas lin , ▁the ▁large ▁death ▁to ll ▁also ▁boost ed ▁the ▁econom ies ▁of ▁Europe : ▁" the ▁dep op ulation ▁of ▁the ▁Amer icas ▁may ▁have ▁in ad vert ently ▁allowed ▁the ▁Europe ans ▁to ▁domin ate ▁the ▁world . ▁It ▁also ▁allowed ▁for ▁the ▁Indust rial ▁Revolution ▁and ▁for ▁Europe ans ▁to ▁continue ▁that ▁dom ination ." ▁ ▁Histor ian ▁And rés ▁Res énd ez ▁of ▁University ▁of ▁California , ▁Davis ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁evidence ▁suggests ▁" s la very ▁has ▁emer ged ▁as ▁major ▁k iller " ▁of ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁populations ▁of ▁the ▁Car ib bean ▁between ▁ 1 4 9 2 ▁and ▁ 1 5 5 0 ▁rather ▁than ▁dise ases ▁such ▁as ▁small po x , ▁influen za ▁and ▁mal