Lethal plague outbreaks in Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers 5,500 years ago

Live updates

1. 2h ago

   Ancient DNA reveals early plague outbreaks in Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers

   Plague killed children in Siberia 5,500 years ago. These basal strains hit hunter-gatherer groups long before the rise of cities or the Black Death. Genetic evidence shows the disease caused lethal outbreaks in prehistoric communities.

   What's confirmed:

   • Plague killed children in Siberia 5,500 years ago.
   • The disease affected hunter-gatherers before the emergence of cities, rats, or the Black Death.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • Ancient DNA from 46 Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers showed Yersinia pestis in 18 individuals across two outbreak phases.
   confidence 90%
2. 3d ago

   Plague Outbreaks Hit Lake Baikal Hunter-Gatherers 5,500 Years Ago

   Early plague strains caused deadly outbreaks among small hunter-gatherer groups in southeast Siberia. The disease spread through familial groups and caused acute mortality. Children aged 8 to 11 were particularly affected.

   What's confirmed:

   • Plague outbreaks occurred among hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal about 5,500 years ago.
   • The infection rate across four cemeteries was 39%.
   • The disease caused acute mortality, especially in children aged 8 to 11 years.
   • Kinship pedigrees indicate the plague spread between humans within small familial groups.
   • The first outbreak took place within a single generation.
   • These early strains differ functionally from later versions, including at the ypm superantigen locus.
   confidence 100%
3. 4d ago

   Ancient DNA reveals plague outbreaks in Siberia 5,500 years ago

   Researchers discovered the oldest known evidence of plague in prehistoric graves near Lake Baikal. The disease killed members of small, mobile hunter-gatherer communities long before the rise of agriculture and cities. Analysis shows the pathogen was particularly lethal to children and young teenagers.

   What's confirmed:

   • Plague outbreaks affected hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal 5,500 years ago.
   • Ancient DNA from four Siberian cemeteries provides the oldest known evidence of the disease.
   • The outbreaks occurred 4,000 years before the Justinian Plague.
   • The disease killed humans in small, mobile communities before the rise of farming and crowded settlements.
   • Early strains of Yersinia pestis were already a child-killing pathogen.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • Plague strains were found in nearly 40% of the individuals studied.
   • Rapid family-based outbreaks wiped out many children and young teenagers.
   confidence 95%