What's happened
Scientists have analysed teeth from hunter-gatherers around Lake Baikal and found plague DNA in 18 individuals, showing two distinct outbreaks about 5,500 years ago and earlier emergence of Yersinia pestis at least 5,700 years ago. The findings challenge the idea that plague began with farming.
What's behind the headline?
Key takeaways
- Ancient DNA from teeth shows Yersinia pestis DNA in 18 of 42 individuals across four cemeteries.
- The data indicate two outbreaks starting around 5,500 years ago, with the pathogen diverging from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis earlier.
- This challenges the view that plague only emerged with farming and dense settlements.
Implications
- The pathogen may have caused outbreaks in small, nomadic groups, not just cities.
- Understanding early evolution of plague can inform current pathogen emergence and surveillance.
What’s next
- Further ancient DNA work could map how the bacterium acquired virulence factors over time.
How we got here
The Lake Baikal region yields early plague evidence from four cemeteries; researchers sequence ancient DNA to trace origins of Yersinia pestis, suggesting hunter-gatherers suffered outbreaks before agricultural societies formed.
Our analysis
The Guardian, The New York Times, Ars Technica, Independent Business, AP News all report on Nature study led by Eske Willerslev; quotes and details are drawn from each publication to illustrate the breadth of coverage.
Go deeper
- What does this change about our timeline for plague origins?
- Will future research locate even earlier outbreaks?
- How might this influence current disease surveillance strategies?
More on these topics
-
Eske Willerslev - University teacher
Eske Willerslev is a Danish evolutionary geneticist notable for his pioneering work in molecular anthropology, palaeontology, and ecology.
-
Lake Baikal - Lake in Russia
Lake Baikal is a rift lake located in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Buryatia to the southeast.
-
University of Copenhagen - Public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark
The University of Copenhagen (Danish: Københavns Universitet, abbr. KU) is a public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. The University of Copenhagen consists of six different faculties, with teaching taking place in its four distinct campuses, all situated in Copenhagen. The university operates 36 different departments and 122 separate research centres in Copenhagen, as well as a number of museums and botanical gardens in and outside the Danish capital. The University of Copenhagen also owns and operates multiple research stations around Denmark, with two additional ones located in Greenland. Additionally, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the public hospitals of the Capital and Zealand Region of Denmark constitute the conglomerate Copenhagen University Hospital. As of October 2022, 10 Nobel laureates and 1 Turing Award laureate have been affiliated with the University of Copenhagen as students, alumni or faculty. Alumni include one president of the United Nations General Assembly and at least 24 prime ministers of Denmark.
-
Siberia - Region in Russia
Siberia is an extensive geographical region spanning much of Eurasia and Northern Asia. Siberia has been part of modern Russia since the latter half of the 16th century. The territory of Siberia extends eastwards from the Ural Mountains to the watershed b
-
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology - Research institute in Leipzig, Germany
The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology is a research institute based in Leipzig, Germany, that was founded in 1997. It is part of the Max Planck Society network.
-
Nature - Journal
Nature is a British weekly scientific journal founded and based in London, England. As a multidisciplinary publication, Nature features peer-reviewed research from a variety of academic disciplines, mainly in science and technology.
-
Black Death - Pandemic
The Black Death was the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history. The Black Death resulted in the deaths of up to 75–200 million people in Eurasia and North Africa, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351.
-
Yersinia pestis - Bacteria
Yersinia pestis is a gram-negative, non-motile, rod-shaped, coccobacillus bacterium, without spores that is related to both Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica.
-
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, or material world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science.
-
History - Field of study
History is the study of the past. Events occurring before the invention of writing systems are considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and i
-
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis - Bacteria
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes Far East scarlet-like fever in humans, who occasionally get infected zoonotically, most often through the food-borne route. Animals are also infected by Y. pseudotuberculosis. The bacter