[blam]

"NOVA, I think, has a program about survivors of the plague. "

Wouldn't most Europeans be descendents of survivors of the Plague? My family goes back to England.

[RegulatorCountry]

"Wouldn't most Europeans be descendents of survivors of the Plague? My family goes back to England."

If you're referencing the genetic mutation that confers some resistance or even immunity to the AIDS virus, this mutation is present in approximately 10% of individuals having northern European ancestry. Both of your parents would need to have the mutation, and pass it on to you, in order to have immunity. The mutation itself is believed to have arisen as a result of ancestral exposure to bubonic plague.

[twigs]

Yes. I wasn't clear. There was a gene mutation that occurred which protected some people from the plague. It has been traced back to about the 13th century, IIRC. It's the children of parents who carried this gene that were protected. This show went back and looked at records of one small English village to show how the plague affected them. It was quite fascinating.