A Deadly Outbreak of Plague, Nearly 5,000 Years Before the Black Death

A Deadly Outbreak of Plague, Nearly 5,000 Years Before the Black Death: The oldest known cases, discovered among hunter-gatherers in Siberian graves, contradict the theory that the disease once was mild. By Carl Zimmer In ancient Siberian graves, scientists have discovered the oldest traces of one of humanity’s greatest enemies. Examining skeletons of hunter-gatherers who lived 5,500 years ago, the researchers have isolated DNA from the bacteria that