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The Latest Breaking News from the Black Death

Medieval plague survivors left us graffiti, court records and a lesson for COVID

Memories of pandemics are often contentious. They can be disputed, uncomfortable and politically charged. As the COVID-19 pandemic begins to feel more distant, governments, communities and families have started asking how it should be remembered.

The Conversation

A New Discovery Just Proved Plague Was Killing People 5,500 Years Ago — Long Before Rats Cities or the Black Death Even Existed

A June 18, 2026 Nature study found Yersinia pestis in 39% of hunter-gatherer remains near Lake Baikal, Siberia, dating 5,500 years ago — centuries before urban or rat-based transmission.

Medical Daily

When the Black Death killed half of Europe in the 1340s, ecologists expected the land to bloom; instead, plant diversity plummeted for 150 years until farming returned

A new study reveals the Black Death's devastating impact on Europe's plant life. The plague's population crash led to a sharp decline in plant diversity for 150 years. This happened because abandoned farms reverted to forests, reducing habitat variety. This historical event offers lessons for modern land conservation and rewilding…

The Economic Times

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What a list of Black Death survivors reveals about the way people recovered from plague

In our research in the British Library’s medieval collections, we have identified a previously unnoticed document that provides fresh insights into the survivors of the outbreak of plague known as the Black Death (1346–53).

The Conversation

Genome sequencing is rewriting the history of disease outbreaks – but without social context, it can tell only part of the story

Fingerprinting transformed police investigations by making it possible to place a suspect at a crime scene with physical evidence. Similarly, genome sequencing has changed how disease detectives study outbreaks by allowing them to read a pathogen’s genes as a biological record of where it came from and how it spread.

The Conversation

The Black Death by Thomas Asbridge review – a medieval horror story

A magisterial history of one of the worst ever pandemics focuses on the individuals caught up in the chaos

The Guardian - UK

How the Black Death in Europe built the foundations of the Renaissance

The Black Death, which happened between 1347 and 1352 in Europe, was a catastrophic demographic contraction that caused an enormous change in the demographics of Europe because of its deaths; by killing nearly half of the people living in Europe at that time, the Plague was also a major force…

The Times of India

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The Black Death’s counterintuitive effect: as human numbers fell, so did plant diversity

Between 1347 and 1353, Europe was gripped by the most catastrophic pandemic in its history: the Black Death. Killing many millions, the plague wiped out between one-third and a half of Europe’s population.

The Conversation

How volcanic eruptions brought the Black Death to Europe

Clues contained in tree rings have revealed how the Black Death travelled to Europe

The Independent UK

Volcanic eruption triggered 'butterfly effect' that led to the Black Death, researchers find

A volcanic eruption in 1345 may have kicked off a series of events that led to the Black Death sweeping through medieval Europe.

LiveScience

History's first pandemic: Ancient DNA solves mystery of what caused 1,500-year-old epidemic

Scientists have confirmed that Yersinia pestis, the bacterium behind later plagues like the Black Death, caused the Justinian Plague - the world’s first recorded pandemic 1,500 years ago.

Euronews

‘Ambition beyond words’: How Siena’s art revolution brought heaven down to earth

Before the Black Death devastated Siena, the city thrummed with energy, expressed in art and architecture designed to dazzle its audience – and which still astonishes 800 years later

The Guardian - UK

Netflix's The Decameron: Dark Comedy Inspired By Historical Pandemic

Explore The Decameron, a dark comedy series on Netflix inspired by Boccaccio's work during the Black Death, offering a unique take on pandemic-themed story...

Top News

Revealed: How mass tourism helped England after the Black Death

Finds from “England’s Venice” reveal the secrets of medieval pilgrimage

The Independent UK

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WhatToWatch

The Decameron: release date, recaps, cast, plot, trailer, interviews and everything you need to know

The Decameron on Netflix is a dark comedy series following a group of misfits trying to wait out the Black Death in the Italian countryside.

International Business Times

Social Media Is Causing Huge Unrest In The World: Now Is The Time For Real Change, A Time To Inspire True Kindness

The social scarring effect of epidemics, such as the Plague of Justinian, the Black Death, and the 1830s cholera pandemic, has been a significant factor in causing social unrest.

WEKU

So you think you know all about the plague?

A case in Oregon is a rarity in the United States. It is not expected to spread. But this ancient and deadly disease remains a threat around the world.

Evening Standard

OPINION - Idiots who believe in Israel-Palestine conspiracy theories — what could possibly go wrong?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, however stupid. And no country, community or generation has a monopoly on stupidity. In the Eighties there was a successful public information campaign to combat the spread of Aids with the catchphrase “Don’t die of ignorance”. If it were possible to actually die of…

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Zenger

Black Death’s Legacy: How Plague Altered Human Oral Microbiome And Our Modern Diet

New research suggests the Black Death may have influenced the composition of the human oral microbiome, leading to chronic diseases and dietary shifts.

Zenger

‘Times’ Airs Accusations That Religious Jews In New York Are Polluting Wells

In the Middle Ages, Jews were accused of poisoning wells and starting plagues, including the Black Death

Daily Mirror

Bubonic plague 'making comeback' - and only certain people will survive it

The Black Death was one of the bleakest moments of European history, claiming the lives of hundreds of millions, and now experts fear it could be making a comeback

People

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