Fascinating

Black Death genetic code 'built'

The genetic code of the germ that caused the Black Death has been reconstructed by scientists for the first time.

The researchers extracted DNA fragments of the ancient bacterium from the teeth of medieval corpses found in London.

They say the pathogen is the ancestor of all modern plagues.

The research, published in the journal Nature, suggests the 14th Century outbreak was also the first plague pandemic in history.

It uses very little actual sample material, so I don't know if it's completely accurate, but the technique could be useful in studying other endemics as well. They found that the Black Death of the 14th century was, indeed caused by a strain of Yersinia pestis that is an ancestor of plague strains today. However, it was not the same pathogen from previous plagues such as the Justinian plague of the 6th century.