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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday November 23 2017, @09:35PM   Printer-friendly
from the well-rats dept.

Plague reached Europe by Stone Age

Plague was present in Europe during the late Stone Age, according to a study of ancient remains. Writing in Current Biology journal, researchers suggest the deadly bacterium entered Europe with a mass migration of people from further east. They screened more than 500 ancient skeletal samples and recovered the full genomes of plague bacteria from six individuals. These six variously date to between Late Neolithic and Bronze Age times.

The plague-positive samples come from Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Estonia and Croatia. "The two samples from Russia and Croatia are among the oldest plague-positive samples published. They are contemporary with [a] previously published sample from the Altai region [in Siberia]," co-author Alexander Herbig from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, told BBC News.

Yersinia pestis.

The Stone Age Plague and Its Persistence in Eurasia (DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.10.025) (DX)


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  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday November 23 2017, @10:54PM (2 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Thursday November 23 2017, @10:54PM (#600862) Homepage

    Let me tell you all about the Plague. When I was young, the Plague was one of the fear factors going on in Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, where my mother went to college.

    I have many awesome stories about that time, however, I will state that the fear of the plague is nothing but fearmongering bullshit. I wouldnt be surprised if it were used as an excuse to pollute that magnificent White land with filthy refugees.

    • (Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:08PM (1 child)

      by Joe Desertrat (2454) on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:08PM (#600865)

      I wouldnt be surprised if it were used as an excuse to pollute that magnificent White land with filthy refugees.

      More like the reverse would be true, would it not?

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 24 2017, @12:44AM

        by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday November 24 2017, @12:44AM (#600885) Homepage

        Your namesake suggests that you are desertborn. As am I. I was forged from the Imperial Valley. And whether or not we are forged from the Imperial Valley or Flagstaff, AZ we are cut from the same cloth. And that cloth is hating Mexicans. Because those Beaners are fucking annoying.

  • (Score: 2) by Snotnose on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:16PM (2 children)

    by Snotnose (1623) on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:16PM (#600867)

    The stone age folk were smarter than the neanderthals and taught their young to always wash their hands in the nearest stream after fertilizing a non-conspicuous bush. That habit hung on until medieval times, when the Catholic Church convinced everyone disease was caused by not obeying god.

    Being hung upside down by their toenails for washing up after pooping may have contributed to the problem, I wasn't there so I can't say.

    --
    Why shouldn't we judge a book by it's cover? It's got the author, title, and a summary of what the book's about.
    • (Score: 1, Disagree) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:22PM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Thursday November 23 2017, @11:22PM (#600869) Homepage

      Meh. We weren't Catholics, but outside of the loud rantings of muh bubinic plague we didn't give a shit.

      Nor should anybody else listening to the hysterical rantings of anyone screaming about muh bubonic plague.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday November 24 2017, @01:06AM

      by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Friday November 24 2017, @01:06AM (#600887) Homepage Journal

      -ted it.

      Regular bathing prevents leprosy, but up until baptism felt as fresh and as clean as Irish Spring, "Bathing lets evil spirits into our pores."

      --
      Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
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