Ancient Siberian graves reveal plague struck hunter-gatherers thousands of years before farming

Scientists analyzing DNA from 46 individuals buried at an ancient hunter-gatherer cemetery near Lake Baikal in Siberia discovered genetic fragments of Yersinia pestis, the plague-causing pathogen, in more than a third of the remains, according to The Washington Post. The study, published in Nature, reveals two phases of plague outbreaks starting about 5,500 years ago, explaining the unusually high number of children and adolescents found at the site. This discovery marks the earliest known plague outbreaks and rewrites the history of disease spread before farming.

"This discovery marks the earliest known plague outbreaks and rewrites the history of disease spread before farming."

The finding predates previous oldest plague evidence by several hundred years and challenges the assumption that plague only became a major threat after the rise of farming and dense settlements, Science News reported. The research suggests the disease already affected scattered hunter-gatherer populations long before large agricultural communities emerged, upending a long-held narrative about the pathogen's history.

"The findings suggest the disease already affected scattered hunter-gatherer populations long before large agricultural communities emerged," Science News noted. This pushes back the timeline of plague's impact on human societies by centuries, showing that even mobile, small groups were not immune to the deadly bacterium.