25 Jun, 2016 @ 11:26
1 min read

Black Death came to Europe just once before killing millions, finds new study

Fears of rat plague in Alicante: Pests are spotted in popular square currently being redeveloped

rats_2A NEW study has revealed it only took one carrier to bring the plague to Europe through Spain in the 14th century, where it remained for over 400 years.

A team of scientists made the discovery after digging up ancient plague pits across Europe and analysing the DNA of victims.

The results showed the fatal yersinia pestis bacteria came to Europe just once, countering previous theories that said it was reintroduced on several occasions.

The plague, or Black Death, killed 60% of Europe’s population.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

IMG  e
Previous Story

British expats ‘should take Spanish nationality’ says British-born hotelier in Spain

brexit debate
Next Story

Petition for second EU referendum garners more than a million votes

Latest from Environment

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press