Live Feeds
● LIVE Updated 2h ago · 24 sources tracked

Ancient DNA uncovers deadly plague outbreak among Siberian hunter-gatherers 5,500 years ago

Ancient DNA from Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers shows plague occurred in two phases starting about 5,500 years ago. The disease caused acute mortality in small family groups, particularly affecting children aged 8 to 11. These strains diverged ancestrally to known Yersinia pestis.

RSS Source map (21)

What changed

New data specifies the age of affected children and the 39% infection rate across four cemeteries.

Live updates

  1. Siberian DNA reveals plague outbreaks 5,500 years ago

    Ancient DNA from Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers shows plague occurred in two phases starting about 5,500 years ago. The disease caused acute mortality in small family groups, particularly affecting children aged 8 to 11. These strains diverged ancestrally to known Yersinia pestis.

    What's confirmed:

    • Plague outbreaks occurred among hunter-gatherers near Lake Baikal beginning about 5,500 years ago.
    • Infections resulted in acute mortality, especially among children aged 8 to 11 years.
    • The disease affected small familial groups in a manner consistent with human-to-human spread.
    • Plague was detected in 39% of remains across four hunter-gatherer cemeteries.
    • The first outbreak occurred within a single generation.
    • Early plague strains lacked virulence factors required for the bubonic form until around 3,800 years ago.
    confidence 100%

  2. Plague Outbreak Identified in Siberian Hunter-Gatherers 5,500 Years Ago

    Ancient DNA from Siberian cemeteries reveals that plague killed people in small hunter-gatherer communities more than 5,500 years ago. The disease affected nomadic families near Lake Baikal. This discovery challenges existing theories regarding the conditions required for the plague to spread.

    What's confirmed:

    • Plague killed people in small hunter-gatherer communities more than 5,500 years ago.
    • The disease affected populations near Lake Baikal.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • Skeletons of nomadic families in Siberia harbor Yersinia pestis bacteria.
    • The plague was lethal to children and young teenagers.
    confidence 90%

  3. Ancient DNA reveals oldest known plague outbreak in Siberia

    Researchers found evidence of a deadly plague outbreak among Siberian hunter-gatherers 5,500 years ago. The disease struck small, mobile communities near Lake Baikal long before the rise of farming and cities. Analysis of ancient DNA from cemeteries indicates the plague was lethal to children and young teenagers.

    What's confirmed:

    • Ancient DNA from Siberia provides evidence of a plague outbreak dating back 5,500 years.
    • The outbreak affected hunter-gatherer communities near Lake Baikal.
    • This discovery represents the oldest known evidence of the plague.
    • The disease killed humans before the emergence of agriculture and crowded urban settlements.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • The bacterium may have originated from raw marmots.
    • Early plague strains were found in nearly 40% of the individuals studied.
    • The outbreak caused rapid family-based deaths among children and young teenagers.
    confidence 90%