Plague of Justinian

Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery resolves a centuries-old debate, confirming that the plague that devastated the Byzantine Empire truly was caused by the same pathogen behind later outbreaks like the Black Death. For the first time, researchers have uncovered direct genomic evidence of the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian - the world's first recorded pandemic - in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the outbreak was first described nearly 1,500 years ago. The landmark discovery, led by an interdisciplinary team at the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, with collaborators in India and Australia, identified