Scientists Finally Solved The Black Death DNA Mystery — After 700 Years

For nearly 700 years, nobody could say for certain what the Black Death really was, where it was born, or why it was so deadly. Scientists finally solved the Black Death DNA mystery by looking inside the one place nobody thought to check: the teeth of the dead. In this video, we follow the story from the doomed ships of Messina in 1347 to the sealed clean rooms where ancient DNA revealed the killer, Yersinia pestis. We trace how the Black Death genome was rebuilt from the East Smithfield burial ground in London, how gravestones near Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan pointed to the origin of the plague in Central Asia, and how the disease spread along the Silk Road and Mediterranean sea lanes. You will also learn how fleas and human-to-human spread fueled the pandemic, how the ERAP2 gene gave some survivors a powerful advantage, why that gene may be linked to autoimmune disease today, and how the Justinian plague fits into the story. If this deep dive into the DNA of history's deadliest pandemic fascinated you, please LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE to the channel, and turn on the notification bell so you never miss a new ancient DNA documentary. SHARE this video with a friend who loves history and science, and tell us in the comments which historical mystery we should solve with DNA next. #blackdeath #ancientdna #plague #medievalhistory #genetics #historydocumentary #yersiniapestis #dna