From ABC News.

Historians have long blamed rats for spreading the plague in Europe nicknamed the “Black Death” in the 14th century, but new research points the finger at a different furry culprit: gerbils.

Known for decimating the European population in the middle ages, the Black Death was caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis, which somehow made its way from Asia to Europe in 1347, according to the study published today in the journal PNAS.

Continue reading Gerbils, Not Rats, May Have Caused Bubonic Plague, Study Finds →