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Scientists Reveal the Black Death’s Origin Story

DNA evidence from archaeological sites pinpoints central Asia as the birthplace of the Black Death.

By Jason P. Dinh
Jun 15, 2022 3:01 PMJun 15, 2022 3:19 PM
The Black Death
(Credit: Channarong Pherngjanda/Shutterstock)

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The Black Death decimated the world’s population seven centuries ago, but its origin is still hotly debated. A new study in Nature claims to identify the Black Death’s original strain from 14th century central Asia. It chases a trail of archaeological and ancient DNA evidence and provides a long-awaited origin story for history’s deadliest epidemic.

The Plague

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