THE bacterium blamed for the Black Death that swept through medieval Europe,
now feared as a potential biological weapon, has had its genes sequenced. Julian
Parkhill of the Sanger Centre in Cambridge says the results show Yersinia
pestis is a relative newcomer. It evolved from a bug that causes mild gut
upset, by acquiring bacterial and viral genes that allow it to live in flea guts
and human blood (Nature, vol 413, p 523).
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ articles
1
The best new science-fiction books of June 2026
2
Pancreatic cancer halted by virus injection in three patients
3
Does gravity create reality? A shocking path to a theory of everything
4
Glaciers in the 'roof of the world' have suddenly started melting
5
First quantum grandfather clock could probe where gravity comes from
6
Q-Day could destroy bitcoin – and our retirement savings
7
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
8
Surprising male G-spot found in most detailed study of the penis yet
9
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
10
Photons behave very strangely if you try to cut them
