For centuries rats have been shouldering the blame for causing the Black Plague and the millions deaths it wrought, but a new theory points the disease-spreading finger at gerbils.
For centuries rats have been shouldering the blame for causing the Bubonic Plague and the millions of deaths it wrought, but a new theory points the disease-spreading finger at gerbils.
The sickness was, according to popular thought, transmitted throughout Europe via the fleas carried by the continent’s prolific rat population.
Scientists in Oslo, Norway have proposed a new twist on the deadly tale and say that giant gerbils were the real villains.
The study centers on an analysis of the time period and its weather, typical trade routes, and common small, furry species.
It turns out that conditions back then weren’t really conducive to rats spreading fatal disease at such levels.
To do so, rats would have needed a series of warm summers with
VideoDorks
BookDorks
AudioDorks
CssDorks
TVDorks
PhotoDorks
ThemeDorks