Black Death bacterial plague that devastated 14th century Europe traced to a lake in Central Asia

Maria Spyrou, a researcher on disease history at the University of Tuebingen in Germany and lead author of a new report on the Black Death, a bacterial plague that killed half of Europe’s population in the 14th century: “We found the Black Death’s source strain, and we even know its exact date — 1338.” (University of Tuebingen)

Scientists in Europe say they’ve pinpointed the origins of the Black Death, a bacterial plague that wiped out half of the continent’s population in the 14th century.

The findings counter other theories that the disease — which caused repeated outbreaks into the early 19th century and also left its mark across the Middle East and North Africa — might first have emerged in China.