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Science
Jun 17, 2026
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Ancient DNA Reveals Earliest Known Plague Outbreak in Siberia

AI Summary
Scientists have identified DNA of Yersinia pestis in 5,500‑year‑old hunter‑gatherer remains from Siberian cemeteries, indicating the earliest known plague outbreak. The Nature study shows a 39% infection rate and suggests the disease spread via raw marmot consumption, reshaping our view of prehistoric disease transmission.

Discovery of a 5,500‑Year‑Old Plague Outbreak in Siberia

Researchers uncovered the earliest direct evidence of plague at late‑stone‑age cemeteries on the Angara River near Lake Baikal, where dozens of hunter‑gatherers and children were buried.

Ancient DNA Confirms Yersinia pestis Infection

Dental pulp from 42 individuals was screened; 18 samples (≈39%) contained Y. pestis DNA, indicating two distinct outbreaks beginning about 5,500 years ago and a second 400‑600 years later.

Statistical Highlights of the Study

  • 39% of tested individuals carried plague DNA, a higher proportion than many medieval burial sites.
  • At least two‑thirds of the dead at two cemeteries were under 15 years old.
  • Outbreaks occurred around 5,500 and 5,100‑5,300 years ago.

Re‑evaluating Early Human Disease Dynamics

The findings show that small, mobile hunter‑gatherer groups were vulnerable to lethal zoonoses, likely contracted through butchering or eating raw marmots and ground squirrels, contradicting the view that plague was confined to later agricultural societies.

Ruairidh Macleod, research fellow at the University of Oxford, called the result “extraordinary but super exciting” and noted that the discovery overturns expectations about prehistoric disease patterns.

Future Research Outlook

Further genomic work may trace the evolution of virulence genes, such as the identified superantigen, and clarify how early plague strains spread across Eurasia.