Black Death altered European genes

The Black Death of the 14th century may be written into the DNA of survivors’ descendants, new research finds.

The study reveals that Roma people (sometimes known as gypsies, although this is considered a derogatory term) and white Europeans share alterations to their genetic code that occurred after the Roma settled in Europe from northwest India 1,000 years ago. The plague of the 1300s, which killed at least 75 million people, is a likely candidate for forcing this evolutionary change.

Read the full, original story: Black Death Likely Altered European Genes

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