Scoopfeeds — Intelligent news, curated.
science

Ancient DNA reveals plague was already killing humans 5,500 years ago

Science Daily · Jun 18, 2026, 12:16 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Why this matters: new research or scientific developments with potential real-world impact.

Plague was already a deadly killer 5,500 years ago, long before cities, farming, or the rat-infested conditions usually linked to historic outbreaks. By analyzing ancient DNA from hunter-gatherer cemeteries in Siberia, researchers discovered early plague strains in nearly 40% of the individuals stud

Read full story on Science Daily → More top stories

Also covered by

Aggregated and edited by the Scoop newsroom. We surface news from Science Daily alongside other reporting so you can compare coverage in one place. Editorial policy · Corrections · About Scoop