Researchers identify oldest-known plague outbreak in 5,500-year-old Siberian remains.
Scientists analyzed ancient DNA from teeth of 18 hunter-gatherers buried near Lake Baikal in Siberia, identifying the oldest-known strains of Yersinia pestis bacteria dating back approximately 5,500 years. The study, published in the journal Nature, found the outbreak was particularly deadly for children and suggests plague arose in central or northeastern Asia before spreading across Eurasia.
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Divergence score
4 outlets covered it, splitting into 4 framing camps across 3 bias groups.
4 camps
3 bias groups
The spectrum · how 4 outlets placed this story
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Globe and Mail
AP News
South China Morning Post
NY Post
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The split, in one line
Coverage is largely uniform across outlets. AP and SCMP share near-identical copy on the discovery, while Globe and Mail provides more scientific detail on the genetic findings. NY Post offers only a brief fragment.
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LEFT OUTLETS
0 of 4 outlets covering this story sit on that side of the spectrum.
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THE RIGHT
“Scientists discover oldest known evidence of the plague with 5,500- year-old teeth”NYP NY Post RIGHT
DOWN THE MIDDLE
“Ancient teeth from Siberia rewrite the plague’s timeline, dating back to over 5,500 years ago” · Globe and Mail, AP News, South China Morning Post
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6 tracked claims across 4 outlets
Fact ledger
All6Claimed1Corroborated5
1/4
Claimed
The ancient strains lacked a gene required for efficient flea-borne transmission found in later pandemic strains.
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