Black Plague series

By tsmith on March 19, 2008.

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 2: Examination of the criticisms

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 4: Plague in modern times

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 5: Nail in the coffin

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"What caused the Black Plague?" series

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 2: Examination of the criticisms Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses Did…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 3: Paleomicrobiology and the detection of Y. pestis in corpses

In parts one and two of the "What caused the Black Plague?" series, I discussed objections that had been raised to the conclusion that the bacterium Yersinia pestis was the cause of this pandemic, and the weaknesses with those criticisms. In today's installation, I'll discuss actual molecular…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 5: Nail in the coffin

Despite its reputation as a scourge of antiquity, Yersinia pestis--the bacterium that causes bubonic plague--still causes thousands of human illnesses every year. In modern times, most of these occur in Africa, and to a lesser extent in Asia, though we have a handful of cases each year in the U.S…

Did Yersinia pestis really cause Black Plague? Part 1: Objections to Y. pestis causation

As I noted last week, Shelley mentioned a topic that's been brought up here a few times in the comments section: alternative theories for causes of the Black Plague (the devastating plague that ravaged Europe beginning in ~1347 and eventually killed more than a third of the population). Though…

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