Close
KTAR.com
News
Shows
Blogs
KTAR News on 92.3FM

Genetic twist: Medieval plague may have molded our immunity

In this photo courtesy of McMaster University, provided in October 2022, a researcher in Hamilton, Ontario holds a tooth of a Black Death victim from London the 1300s. According to a study published Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in the journal Nature, our Medieval ancestors left us with a biological legacy: Genes that may have helped them survive the Black Death make us more susceptible to certain diseases today - a prime example of the way germs shape us over time. (Matt Clarke/McMaster University via AP) This photo courtesy of the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), provided in October 2022, shows excavation of the East Smithfield plague pits in London, which were used for mass burials in 1348 and 1349. According to a study published Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, in the journal Nature, our Medieval ancestors left us with a biological legacy: Genes that may have helped them survive the Black Death make us more susceptible to certain diseases today - a prime example of the way germs shape us over time. (MOLA via AP)