A study of ancient DNA from hunter-gatherer graves near Lake Baikal in Siberia reveals a deadly Yersinia pestis outbreak dating to roughly 5500 years ago, showing plague affected non-farming communities before the Neolithic revolution.

Researchers suggest plague outbreaks may have been common in hunter-gatherer groups, challenging the idea that such epidemics were limited to densely populated societies.

Dental DNA analysis identified plague DNA and allowed researchers to infer family relationships, noting that 18 of 46 skeletons yielded detectable plague DNA, with the team believing most victims died from plague.

The study notes an unusual mortality pattern with many children and teens among the victims, leaving researchers to explore exposure patterns or lifelong susceptibility.

The accompanying podcast links to Nature Briefing and multiple podcast platforms for additional resources.

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Oxford researchers and collaborators report that the outbreak affected multiple graves with siblings and groups dying in the same period, indicating a community-wide event.

Children and teenagers were disproportionately affected, with higher deaths among ages eight to eleven, and some deaths occurred in shared graves among relatives or non-relatives, implying meaningful transmission dynamics.

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Marmots are proposed as the primary reservoir, given abundant remains and teeth in Neolithic graves, implying zoonotic transmission from animals to humans.

The outbreaks likely involved a wild rodent reservoir, helping explain recurrent outbreaks in the same region over time.