Scientists sequence the full Black Death genome and find the mother of all plagues. This is an updated version of an old piece, edited to include new information.
Science progresses by adding new data to an ever-growing picture. Why should science writing be different? The road of East Smithfield runs through east London and carries a deep legacy of death. Two cemeteries, established in the area in the 14th century, contain round 2,500 of bodies, piled five deep. Yersinia pestis. Fountains of Life Found at the Bottom of the Dead Sea. For years, ripples at the surface of the Dead Sea hinted there was something mysterious going on beneath its salt-laden waters.
But in a lake where accidentally swallowing the water while diving could lead to near-instant asphyxiation, no one was in a hurry to find out what it might be. This year, some intrepid divers changed that, stumbling onto a geological and biological treasure and capturing it on video. I’ve got your missing links right here (8 October 2011)