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Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

Researchers extracted DNA from the remains of people buried in the East Smithfield plague pits, which were used for mass burials in 1348 and 1349. Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA) hide caption

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Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)

Goats and Soda

Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

Nearly half of Europeans died from the plague. Now a new study shows a protective gene mutation that survivors passed on to help with future outbreaks might cause other problems.

Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost

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Ancient Plague's DNA Revived From A 1,500-Year-Old Tooth

Graduate student Jennifer Klunk of McMaster University examines a tooth used to decode the genome of the ancient plague. Courtesy of McMaster University hide caption

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Courtesy of McMaster University

Shots - Health News

Ancient Plague's DNA Revived From A 1,500-Year-Old Tooth

When you hear the words bubonic plague, Black Death usually comes to mind. But the first plague pandemic happened 800 years earlier, when the Justinian plague wiped out nearly a quarter of the world's population. Scientists have decoded the bacteria responsible, which have roots in China.

Ancient Plague's DNA Revived From A 1,500-Year-Old Tooth

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