Ancient Siberian Plague Reveals Earliest Outbreak Linked to Hunter-Gatherers

DNA from teeth at four Siberian cemeteries shows Yersinia pestis in victims dating to about 5,500 years ago, making this the oldest known plague outbreak and indicating that hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal were devastated before farming communities. The early strain lacked later virulence genes but was still deadly, likely spreading pneumonically and disproportionately affecting children; burial patterns suggest the disease spread within families along the Angara River, challenging the idea that plague only emerged with agriculture.