All articles tagged with #yersinia pestis
New genomic and archaeological evidence shows prehistoric Yersinia pestis infected Neolithic farmers in Europe, but ancient strains lacked flea-adaptation genes and outbreaks were scattered without clear mass mortality, leaving open whether plague caused the roughly 500-year population decline in late Neolithic Europe or if other factors were involved.
A Nature study of ancient DNA from 46 individuals buried near Lake Baikal reveals two previously unknown Yersinia pestis strains, indicating two plague outbreaks about 5,600–5,300 and 5,100–4,900 years ago among hunter-gatherers. About 40% of the individuals carried plague DNA, suggesting significant mortality in small communities likely caused by pneumonic plague transmitted person-to-person; marmots may have been the reservoir. This pushes plague's emergence far earlier than previously thought and shows epidemics affected hunter-gatherer groups before farming communities appeared.
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.
Ancient DNA from 5,500-year-old Siberian hunter-gatherer graves reveals a previously unknown Yersinia pestis strain carrying a unique toxin that likely made infections highly deadly for children and suggests plague originated in Central/Northeast Asia long before farming. The study found plague in about 39% of individuals across two cemeteries near Lake Baikal, implying possible human-to-human transmission within small groups and multiple outbreak waves, with marmots likely acting as the ancient reservoir. By combining DNA analysis, radiocarbon dating, and archaeology, researchers show these were among the oldest plague events in humans and challenge ideas about how the disease spread.
A Nature study of four Siberian graves near Lake Baikal, dating to about 5,500 years ago, found Yersinia pestis DNA in roughly 40% of the remains, offering the oldest evidence of plague and suggesting two prehistoric outbreaks that spread within families among hunter‑gatherers. The bacterium likely caused pneumonic plague at the time—not the flea‑borne bubonic form that emerged later—and the findings challenge the idea that the Neolithic agricultural shift was the primary driver of plague emergence, showing it could affect hunter‑gatherer communities as well.
DNA from 132 individuals in a French tomb shows Europe’s Neolithic decline (~3000 BCE) involved a turnover in populations: pre- and post-collapse groups were genetically different, with two burial phases separated by centuries, signs of elevated mortality, and evidence of multiple pressures including disease; later migrations from southern France/Iberia reshaped the Paris Basin, indicating a multifactor disruption rather than a single cause.
A 4,000-year-old sheep bone from Arkaim yielded DNA from Yersinia pestis, marking the first recovery of the plague genome from a non-human Bronze Age sample and suggesting livestock played a role in ancient transmission, indicating a dynamic between people, animals, and a still unidentified reservoir across Eurasia.
Scientists discovered the first evidence of a Bronze Age strain of plague infecting livestock, specifically a sheep from 4,000 years ago, shedding light on how the ancient disease spread across Eurasia and highlighting the complex interactions between humans, animals, and natural reservoirs.
A groundbreaking DNA study has identified the world's earliest known plague carrier in a 4,000-year-old domesticated sheep from the Bronze Age, revealing how the plague spread before fleas became its primary vector, and highlighting the complex interactions between humans, livestock, and natural reservoirs in ancient Eurasia.
Scientists have confirmed that Yersinia pestis caused the Justinian Plague 1,500 years ago by analyzing genetic material from human remains in Jerash, Jordan, providing definitive biological evidence of the bacterium's role in one of history's earliest pandemics, and revealing patterns of recurrent plague outbreaks over millennia.
Scientists have identified the bacterium Yersinia pestis in a 1,500-year-old mass grave in Jerash, Jordan, providing the first direct genetic evidence linking it to the Justinian Plague, the world's first recorded pandemic, which caused millions of deaths in the 6th century.
Researchers have identified the bacterium Yersinia pestis in ancient remains from Jerash, Jordan, providing direct genetic evidence linking it to the Justinian Plague, the first recorded pandemic, and offering new insights into the history and evolution of plague and pandemics.
A man in New Mexico contracted the bubonic plague after camping near Santa Fe National Forest, marking the first human case in the state this year, likely transmitted via flea bite from infected rodents; similar cases have occurred in California.
Researchers have uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis in a mass grave at Jerash, Jordan, confirming the bacterium caused the Plague of Justinian, the first recorded pandemic, thus resolving a long-standing mystery and providing new insights into the history and evolution of pandemics.
A 43-year-old man in New Mexico was diagnosed with plague after likely exposure while camping, marking the first human case in the state this year amid recent cases in the western U.S. The disease, caused by Yersinia pestis, is rare but can spread through flea bites or contact with infected animals, prompting health officials to recommend precautions such as avoiding sick rodents and using insect repellent.