In Ancient DNA, Evidence of Plague Much Earlier Than Previously Known

New York Times ^ | 22 October 2015 | Carl Zimmer

[Lorianne]

In the 14th century, a microbe called Yersinia pestis caused an epidemic of plague known as the Black Death that killed off a third or more of the population of Europe. The long-term shortage of workers that followed helped bring about the end of feudalism.

Historians and microbiologists alike have searched for decades for the origins of plague. Until now, the first clear evidence of Yersinia pestis infection was the Plague of Justinian in the 6th century, which severely weakened the Byzantine Empire.

But in a new study, published on Thursday in the journal Cell, researchers report that the bacterium was infecting people as long as 5,000 years ago.

Exactly what those early outbreaks were like is impossible to know. But the authors of the new study suggest that plague epidemics in the Bronze Age may have opened the doors to waves of migrants in regions decimated by disease.

“To my mind, this leaves little doubt that this has played a major role in those population replacements,” said Eske Willerslev, a co-author of the new study and the director of the Center for GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen.

[MeganC]

So I wonder if a plague would bring about the end of the Welfare State by decimating the number of workers whose labors keep it afloat?

[Fai Mao]

Or it might kill enough of those on welfare that the system wouldn’t be so burdensome

[Quality_Not_Quantity]

I thought they were talking about tooth decay.

[Yo-Yo]

But what about the Locusts?

[Cyman]

You mean there were Democrats back then?

[SES1066]

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Plague germs are both constant and evolving, but plague conditions are not. When you get a non-resistant population exposed to a carrier, then you too can have a plague!

[SunkenCiv]

Note: this topic is from 11/06/2015. Thanks Lorianne.