Researchers analyzing ancient DNA have discovered evidence that plague was killing human populations in Siberia approximately 5,500 years ago—millennia before the medieval Black Death. The findings reveal that prehistoric plague strains infected hunter-gatherer communities long before urbanization and the flea-vector transmission patterns associated with later epidemics.
The ancient plague bacteria carried a genetic factor capable of triggering severe immune responses in infected individuals, potentially explaining the pathogenicity of these early strains. This discovery demonstrates that plague has posed a threat to human populations throughout deep history, not only during the well-documented medieval period that devastated Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Scientists continue to analyze ancient genomic data to understand transmission mechanisms and immune factors in prehistoric plague populations. Health authorities are monitoring ongoing research to assess implications for current plague surveillance and prevention strategies. This is a developing story.
Source: Plague was killing entire families thousands of years before the…
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