plague DNA – At cemeteries along Siberia’s Angara River, archaeologists had long been puzzled by a sudden cluster of child deaths with no signs of violence. Now ancient DNA analysis of teeth from 46 people has detected Y. pestis, tying the mystery to plague and suggesting
The Angara River runs out of the depths of Lake Baikal. and for people who lived along its banks thousands of years ago. it was life and motion. They hunted. foraged. and fished—small groups moving through the landscape. yet staying connected across hundreds of kilometers through marriage and family ties.
They also buried their dead in places such as Ust’-Ida, leaving behind clay pots, stone tools, and bone and antler points. But at Ust’-Ida, archaeologists from the Baikal Archaeology Project found a grim pattern that didn’t fit what they expected to see in an ordinary cemetery.
There were an unusually high number of dead children. Radiocarbon dates clustered around the same period, suggesting many of the cemetery’s occupants died at around the same time. And critically, archaeologists found no evidence of violence—no signs that would explain mass death through conflict.
To solve the mystery, the team turned to ancient DNA.
Macleod and colleagues began with shotgun sequencing, a method used to identify DNA sequences when scientists don’t know exactly which organisms they’re looking for. They analyzed samples from the roots of 46 ancient people’s teeth taken from four different cemeteries along the Angara River.
What they found was “plague,” and the result came with a twist that feels almost unnervingly specific. Dental roots are supplied by lots of blood vessels. That means anything moving through the bloodstream—at some point—can leave its mark in teeth. “This is really cool evidence that the plague was in the bloodstream. which is lethal. ” said Frederik Seersholm. a University of Copenhagen ancient DNA researcher.
At Ust’-Ida, about 11 of the 31 people Macleod and colleagues tested had Y. pestis DNA in their teeth. Macleod says that level is consistent with “pretty much everybody [in the cemetery] having died of plague,” not only those 11.
The reasoning depends on something researchers can compare. The detection rate for plague DNA in the remains at Ust’-Ida matches what was seen at Smithfield’s—described in the findings as a known mass grave specifically for plague victims in London. With that parallel, the team argues it’s safe to assume everyone buried at Ust’-Ida had the plague.
The cemetery that once looked like a sudden tragedy without obvious cause now reads like a plague outbreak written into the ground—one where children were hit hardest. many deaths clustered within the same period. and the pathogen itself appears to have traveled with the bloodstream into the teeth that outlasted them.
plague Y. pestis ancient DNA Siberia Angara River Lake Baikal Ust’-Ida hunter-gatherers archaeology radiocarbon dating Smithfield mass grave
Plague DNA?? so basically they confirmed it like it was covid or what.
I don’t get how “teeth” can prove anything. Like couldn’t it be contamination from later people or the dig site? Also 11 outta 31 is like… not 100% so how do they say everybody had it?
They say “in the bloodstream” but I’m pretty sure plague is from fleas?? So if there was plague DNA, why are the teeth talking like they got it directly. And “Angara River runs out of the depths of Lake Baikal”?? that sentence sounds backwards, like the river comes from above lol.
This is wild because I always thought Siberia was kind of untouched by stuff like the Black Death. But it says plague DNA in hunter-gatherers, which makes me think it must’ve spread super fast. Also why were there so many child deaths, that part makes me sick. I hope they’re not just guessing based on matching another grave in London though.