What was the Black Death? | The Week

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Scientists believe the Black Death, one of the worst infectious disease outbreaks in human history, has left a mark on the immune systems of people living today. How the black death changed the world The definitions of pandemic, epidemic and endemic - and why it matters The politics of naming Covid-19 Four DNA variants appear to have helped boost survival rates during the 14th-century plague, which was caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis and is thought to have killed up to 60% of the western Eurasian population in just eight years. Researchers from the University of Chicago, McMaster University in Ontario and the Pasteur Institute in Paris now say that “at least two of those variants associated with surviving the Black Death can be linked to autoimmune conditions common in modern society – including Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis”, reported The Washington Post. Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. From our morni

The citizens of Toumai bury their dead during the black death. (Image credit: Wikicommons) Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Whatsapp Pinterest Share this article Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Scientists believe they have finally uncovered what triggered the deadly plague that wiped out over half the medieval population of Europe. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe in Leipzig said that "clues contained in tree rings" have "identifie

What was the Black Death? | The Week

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