# Scientists find evidence of earliest known plague outbreak in what is now Russia 5,500 years ago

https://mins.news/en/item/87181

- Meduza, 2026-10-05 23:47 UTC
- Science
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2026/10/06/the-earliest-known-plague-outbreak-happened-in-what-is-now-russia-5-500-years-ago-scientists-found-the-evidence-in-ancient-teeth

> DNA from Yersinia pestis was found in the teeth of hunter-gatherers who died near Lake Baikal about 5,500 years ago. Researchers examined 46 people from four burial sites and detected the plague bacterium in 18. Closely timed burials, related victims and unusually high child mortality led them to identify a disease outbreak rather than isolated infections.

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