2026-06-25
39 分钟The Black Death was one of the most deadly pandemics in human history.
It conjures up images of dirty medieval cities, infested by fleas and rats, people living in fear and panic.
This outbreak of plague is thought to have killed as many as 50 million people,
half the population of Europe at the time.
But it wasn't the first time that plague had ravaged the continent.
It had also spread around Europe nearly a thousand years before.
And according to a study published just last week,
the same bacterium had also been spreading between people in what is now Siberia more than 5,000 years ago.
That's the oldest known outbreak of plague.
And well before the emergence of any towns or closely packed settlements that are normally associated with the disease.
The finding comes from a relatively new field of research, something we've explored before on Babbage,
where scientists have been able to sequence the genomes inside ancient bones.
It's a technology that's opening up a wealth of new data for archaeologists and historians,
and it's rewriting the history of our species in the process.
I'm Alok Jav and this is Babbage from The Economist.
Today, what ancient plagues tell us about modern humans.
With me for today's show is Sam Whiteley, one of our science correspondents.
Sam, thanks for joining me.
Great to be here.
Now, Sam, when I think of plague, I'm thinking rats probably sort of foaming at the mouth,