CNN —The oldest known plague victims date back to around 5,000 years ago in Europe. Genetic time travelGenetic information about pathogens can be preserved in human DNA, allowing scientists to time travel to find out about ancient diseases and how they evolved. (It’s also not possible to know for sure whether the people studied died of the plague — only that they were infected.) Karl-Göran SjögrenNonetheless, the study authors said their findings did not necessarily suggest a swift and deadly plague epidemic. Instead, the team found evidence of three distinct infection events, plus different variants of the bacterium that causes plague.

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Persons: it’s, “, ”, Frederik Seersholm, ” Seersholm, Seersholm, Yersinia pestis, It’s, Karl, Göran, —, Mark Thomas, Thomas, wasn’t, he’s, ” Thomas Organizations: CNN, Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics, Globe Institute , University of Copenhagen, University College London Locations: Europe, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Northern Europe, France, it’s, Frälsegården, Scandinavia