Ancient teeth from Siberia has helped researchers rewrite the plague’s timeline. Scientists have found the oldest known evidence of the plague, which sparked deadly outbreaks dating back about 5,500 years ago — some 200 years earlier than previously thought. The disease has sickened humans for thousands of years and wiped out a significant chunk of Europe's population in the 14th century during what's known as the Black Death. Though rare, the plague is still around today and is treated with antibiotics.
About 5,500 years ago, bands of hunter-gatherers inhabited the Lake Baikal region in Siberia, sustained by rich resources including prey such as elk, deer, moose, fish, seals and rodents called marmots. These people became victims of the earliest-known plague outbreak, especially children and adolescents.
