A plague of gerbils?

• Position: MEDIEVAL HISTORY - Origin of the bubonic plague - Brief article

Flea-carrying rats have long been blamed for spreading the bubonic plague, which swept Europe in the mid-1300s and killed an estimated 25 million people. But a new study says a more cuddly rodent was responsible: the gerbil. Scientists arrived at their new theory by studying tree-ring records, which document climate conditions. They found that Europe tended to experience plague outbreaks after Central Asia had wet springs and warm...