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News Articles: Black Death

A fluorescent image of a human body louse with <em>Yersinia pestis</em> infection — that's the cause of the plague — depicted in orange/red in the glands.<br>

Don't just blame rat fleas. Lice may have helped spread 'black death' plague

The mystery: How did bubonic plague spread so rapidly? Could rat fleas have done it all? A new study points the finger at lice as possible accomplices.

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By:
  • Ari Daniel
A 15th century woodcut depicts a patient suffering from the bubonic plague. A pandemic of the disease, the Black Death, killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe between 1346 and 1353.

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.

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By:
  • Michaeleen Doucleff
A woodcut from the 15th century depicts a scene from the Black Death plague, which killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe and the Mediterranean between 1346 and 1353. Scientists say they may have found the origin of this deadly disease.

Scientists say they've solved a 700-year-old mystery: Where and when Black Death began

For centuries, scientists and historians have wondered where the Black Death — the deadliest pandemic in recorded history — came from. New research sheds light on the ancient disease.

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By:
  • Max Barnhart
A woodcut from the 15th century depicts a scene from the Black Death plague, which killed an estimated 50 million people in Europe and the Mediterranean between 1346 and 1353. Scientists say they may have found the origin of this deadly disease.

Scientists say they've solved a 700-year-old mystery: Where and when Black Death began

For centuries, scientists and historians have wondered where the Black Death — the deadliest pandemic in recorded history — came from. New research sheds light on the ancient disease.

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By:
  • Max Barnhart
For nearly three centuries, the Republic of Ragusa, where modern-day Dubrovnik is centered, forced visitors to spend 40 days on the remote islands off the coast of the walled city, but in the 17th century, the city built the Lazarettos, a series of buildings immediately outside the city where visitors had to quarantine. This is the view from one of the quarantine cells.

How A Medieval City Dealing With The Black Death Invented Quarantine

The wealthy merchant city of Dubrovnik, in present-day Croatia, had a problem. The Black Death was killing much of Europe, but Dubrovnik didn't want to lock down and lose business.

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By:
  • Rob Schmitz