Ancient plague genomes reveal Europe’s 400-year cycle of outbreaks after the Black Death
Researchers reconstructed 26 Yersinia pestis genomes from 11 sites dating 14th–18th centuries, showing plague repeatedly resurfaced across Europe during the Second Plague Pandemic, forming new lineages and spreading via trade, armies, and migration; improved dating links genomes to specific outbreaks and suggests multiple regional reservoirs, with climate factors such as the Great Renaissance Drought potentially driving expansions.