Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Maybe Rats Aren't to Blame for the Black Death
National Geographic ^ | January 15, 2018 | Michael Greshko

Posted on 01/16/2018 6:05:53 AM PST by C19fan

Rats have long been blamed for spreading the parasites that transmitted plague throughout medieval Europe and Asia, killing millions of people. Now, a provocative new study has modeled these long-ago outbreaks and suggests that the maligned rodents may not be the culprits after all.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.nationalgeographic.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; History
KEYWORDS: plague
Says something about the lack of hygiene that human lice and fleas could have been a viable vector for the plague.
1 posted on 01/16/2018 6:05:53 AM PST by C19fan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Rats trying to bring in their RATopia are doing the same thing here today.
Rats are rats whether they’re the 4 or 2-legged variety....nasty vile, disease-ridden creatures.


2 posted on 01/16/2018 6:11:22 AM PST by lgjhn23 (It's easy to be liberal when you're dumber than a box of rocks.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lgjhn23

They killed all the cats because they were thought to be evil. This let the Rat population explode.


3 posted on 01/16/2018 6:31:24 AM PST by MGG
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Yeah...absent of a corpse for autopsy, it’s almost impossible to pinpoint.


4 posted on 01/16/2018 6:40:27 AM PST by gr8eman (Facts and evidence are bourgeois constructs weaponized by patriarchal penis-people)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

‘suggests that the maligned rodents may not be the culprits after all.’

obviously it was Trump’s fault...


5 posted on 01/16/2018 6:41:18 AM PST by IrishBrigade
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IrishBrigade

The latest plague vector is LIBs. They are the pathogen to destroy civil society.


6 posted on 01/16/2018 6:44:17 AM PST by hal ogen (First Amendment or Reeducation Camp?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: MGG

‘They killed all the cats because they were thought to be evil.’

but they did so for religious reasons, so it’s all fine and dandy...


7 posted on 01/16/2018 6:44:55 AM PST by IrishBrigade
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

DemocRATs ,,,,,,


8 posted on 01/16/2018 6:51:27 AM PST by Lionheartusa1 ()-: There is nothing DEMOCRATIC about the democrat party ,, stop using that term :-()
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: IrishBrigade

Trump’ fault.

So getting rid of cats is CACA????


9 posted on 01/16/2018 7:05:24 AM PST by Scrambler Bob (All posts are /s, unless otherwise specified.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: MGG

>> They killed all the cats because they were thought to be evil. This let the Rat population explode. <<

Myth. A cat crossing your path was bad luck because the cat was chasing a rat. There was no cat genocide. The rat population exploded because of a long series of cool, damp summers, causing the rat population to explode each summer, followed by cold winters, causing the rat population to seek shelter among humans.


10 posted on 01/16/2018 7:05:31 AM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

This isn’t news. We have known it was the fleas carried by rats for a long time.


11 posted on 01/16/2018 7:49:19 AM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

I dunno. I don’t think I’m ready to let the ‘Rats off on this one. They are the source of most evil in this country today. I don’t see why they would have changed over the years. A ‘Rat is a rat is a ‘Rat.


12 posted on 01/16/2018 9:28:44 AM PST by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dangus

... humans who lived largely in thatched-roof houses, perfect habitat for rats.


13 posted on 01/16/2018 9:51:41 AM PST by Campion (Halten Sie sich unbedingt an die Lehre!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: C19fan

Maybe Rats Aren’t to Blame for the Black Death
Democ...rats are responsible:
See article about: San Francisco Is A Literal ****ole, Public Defecation Map Reveals


14 posted on 01/16/2018 2:11:55 PM PST by minnesota_bound
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson