Lethal Plague Outbreaks in Lake Baikal Hunter-gatherers 5500 Years Ago
Ruairidh Macleod, Frederik Valeur Seersholm, Bianca De Sanctis, Angela R. Lieverse, Adrian Timpson, Rick Schulting, Jesper T. Stenderup, Charleen Gaunitz, Lasse Vinner, Olga Ivanovna Goriunova, Vladimir Ivanovich Bazaliiskii, Sergei V. Vasilyev, Erin Jessup, Yucheng Wang, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, , Eske Willerslev
This study identifies the oldest known plague strains in Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers 5500 years ago, showing early outbreaks were lethal and challenged the idea that agriculture was necessary for plague epidemics.
Nature · Jun 17, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics