Science
Ancient DNA links centuries of European plague waves to major wars
Researchers tracked historical outbreaks across Europe using refined genomic dating, ScienceDaily reports.
The short version
- Researchers reconstructed 26 Yersinia pestis genomes across Europe, revealing multiple introductions and previously unknown genetic lineages over 400 years.[ScienceDaily]
- A newly developed dating technique placed ancient bacterial samples on an evolutionary tree, matching genetic lineages to documented historical outbreaks.[ScienceDaily]
- Genetic evidence tied significant plague spread and diversification to major European conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War and the Great Northern War.[ScienceDaily]
Key facts
- Researchers reconstructed 26 Yersinia pestis genomes from human remains at 11 archaeological sites in Estonia, Russia, England, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.[ScienceDaily]
- A new phylogenetic dating method allowed scientists to narrow broad sample age ranges by mapping genomes onto the bacterium's evolutionary tree.[ScienceDaily]
- Plague lineages underwent major expansion and split into three key branches around 1450 to 1500.[ScienceDaily]
- Analyzed genomes provided genetic evidence linking outbreaks to the Thirty Years' War and the Great Northern War.[ScienceDaily]
What remains uncertain
- It remains unconfirmed whether the major expansion of plague lineages between 1450 and 1500 permanently established new wild rodent reservoirs in Europe.[ScienceDaily]
Sources
Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.
- Ancient DNA reveals how plague kept returning for 400 years after the Black DeathScienceDaily - Health