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Illustration of Yersinia pestis bacteria

An mRNA vaccine protects mice against deadly plague bacteria

30 November 2022

The bacterium Yersinia pestis causes frequent outbreaks that kill people, but a new vaccine based on cutting edge technology has shown promise in a mouse study
Issyk-Kul Lake (second biggest mountain lake in the world) in Kyrgyzstan in an autumn sunny day. Touristic area of this Central Asia country which has mountains in 80% of its territory. Snow visible.; Shutterstock ID 1551303815; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Origin of Black Death finally found in bacteria from Kyrgyzstan graves

15 June 2022

DNA from plague bacteria has been identified in graves from 1338 in Kyrgyzstan, and these pathogens appear to be the ancestors of those that caused the Black Death
wild rat

Plague never went away – now it could re-emerge in drug-resistant form

25 May 2022

Plague may seem like an ancient disease, but the bacterium that causes it persists in rodents and fleas around the world. Researchers are warning that it could resurface in a form that our antibiotics can't treat and cause another pandemic
G15D0M Allegorical representation of the Demon of the Plague, from H. von Gersdorf's Feldtbuch der Wundarzney, printed by Johann Schott, Strasbourg, 1540. The Black Death (1340-1400) was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the de

How many people died due to the Black Death in Europe?

25 May 2022

The history books say the infamous plague pandemic of the 14th century killed at least half of the population of Europe. But recent scientific investigations have called that figure into question

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