5,500 Years Ago, Something Was Killing Humans in Prehistoric Siberia -- New Research Has Finally Revealed This Ancient Assassin

A longstanding archaeological mystery has loomed over discoveries at ancient burial sites in eastern Siberia: why were so many children and adolescents among the dead?Now, according to a recent study in the journal Nature, DNA recovered from human remains found in burial sites at four cemeteries near Lake Baikal in eastern Siberia may finally reveal the answer.Thousands of years ago, prior to the rise of ancient medieval cities -- and their often-rat-infested streets -- a disease famously associated with these rodents had already ravaged communities of prehistoric hunter-gatherers.The research, based on reconstructions of ancient bacterial genomes preserved in the teeth...