Jul 10, 2024
DNA analyses show the plague may have caused the downfall of Stone Age farmers
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: biotech/medical
Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe’s populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages, new research published in the journal Nature shows.
In the 14th century Europe, the plague ravaged the population during the so-called “Black Death,” claiming the lives of nearly a third of the population.
But the plague arrived in Scandinavia several thousand years earlier, and despite several theories suggesting otherwise, the plague might have caused an epidemic, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen.
