From mild-mannered to killer: Study explains plague's rapid evolution and sheds light on fighting deadly diseases
Monday, August 29, 2011 - 21:30
in Biology & Nature
How did a bacterium that causes mild stomach irritation rapidly evolve into a deadly assassin responsible for the most devastating pandemics in human history? New DNA sequencing techniques reveal how Yersinia pseudotuberculosis became Yersinia pestis, otherwise know as the plague. The new study offers a glimpse into how the new technology might aid in the development of drugs to fight deadly diseases, including the plague.