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Black Death

Black Death, or the plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. The disease killed 50 million people in the 14th century. It is caused by a bacillus called Yersina pestis, has an extremely high fatality rate and is very infectious.

Covid jab boffins develop Black Death vaccine over fears plague could spark next pandemic
Black Death
Scientists behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronovirus jab have called for the UK to add a bubonic plague vaccine to its stockpile as the risk of a superbug strain rises
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Chat GPT outperforms trained doctors and has a go at diagnosing the Black Death
Health issues
Doctor Google may be a better source to turn to than the NHS after a bot outperformed doctors in diagnosing illnesses, according to a study – but how good is its knowledge of Medieval ailments?
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Black Death, bird flu and Mpox added to WHO's list of 24 'pandemic potential' viruses
World Health Organisation
In the first major shake-up to the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s list, a panel of experts have added the three deadly diseases to its priority pathogens list
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Drugged and kidnapped model says people still call her a liar years on
Crime
Chloe Ayling was at the centre of a brutal crime where a self-proclaimed assassin drugged her and carried her in a bag to a farmhouse where he threatened to sell her online
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Is Netflix's The Decameron based on a true story? Origin of new hit show explained
Netflix
As The Decameron is set to drop onto Netflix, many have been left wondering whether the comedy-drama is based on a true story
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Sex Education's Tanya Reynolds to lead new Netflix period drama - and it's raunchy
Netflix
Netflix has announced that an eight-part series, described as a 'wine-soaked sex romp in the Italian countryside,' is on the way
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Rats cleared of being responsible for spreading the plague as study reveals real culprits
Rats
Rats have apparently been wrongly labelled as superspreaders of the Black Death as new research appears to clear the rodent's name while identifying the real suspect
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Girl suffers chemical burns after choking on world's sourest sweet 'Black Death’
YouTube
Mia-Rose Bowyer, a 10-year-old from Reading, wanted to try the Black Death sweet after watching a TikTok challenge, however now, she is unsure whether the super sour candy has scared her vocal chords
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Mysterious 'Disease X' will be '20 times deadlier than Covid,' claims top WHO official
World Health Organisation
The mystery Disease X is a hypothetical pandemic-inducing nightmare created by the World Health Organisation as a way of preparing for another world-ending pandemic
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Inside creepy 'Island of Death' haunted by plague and 160,000 lost souls
Dark Tourism
Poveglia Island, near Venice, in Italy, saw hundreds of thousands of plague victims left on the island to die in a hospital where later a mental facility was built – and there are mass unmarked graves
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Amateur metal detectorists uncover hoard of medieval coins worth whopping £150k
Money
Seven amateur metal detectorists unearthed the stash of gold and silver coins, many of them dating back to the time of the Black Death, in a field in Buckinghamshire
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Black Death 'Big Bang' site located by scientists chasing origin of killer plague
Black Death
Scientists appear to have discovered the 'Big Bang' location where the Black Death originated after over 100 years of evidence accumulation, pinpointing the area of the infamous disease to Central Asia
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Brits get real-life history muddled up with fiction - and think Game Of Thrones is REAL
Game Of Thrones
One in ten mistook Game Of Thrones character Jon Snow for a real historical figure - while others thought Harry Potter's Battle of Hogwarts was a real battle
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Another pandemic 'on the way' thanks to rodent population, claim experts
Coronavirus
It wouldn't be the first time rodents have spread a pandemic-inducing virus as, in the 14thcentury, tens of millions lost their lives as the Black Death raged in Europe
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Enormous hole discovered in Arctic's oldest ice and it could disappear in 100 years
In the News
A shocking new study has revealed how an enormous hole opened in the Arctic's thickest ice - which is "more vulnerable" to melting than scientists initially thought
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Horrifying Black Death could return thanks to climate change, top doctor warns
Black Death
The bubonic plague could be making a comeback, according to Russia's top medic Dr Anna Popova. She claimed the return of the deadly disease poses a "risk" to public health
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Woman catches rarest form of pneumonic plague from her beloved pet cats
Black Death
A woman from Fremont County, Wyoming, has been diagnosed with pneumonic plague from her sick cats, the rarest form of plague – and the only kind that is able to spread from human to human
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Historical tales behind terrifying statues and the medieval art of death
Frisk
The macabre memorials like the painting of the Three Living and the Three Dead served as a way to spread the message that a person's wealth and looks were fleeting
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Popular tourist resort Lake Tahoe closes after chipmunks test positive for plague
Black Death
The rodents have tested positive for the dreaded plague and so large chunks of Lake Tahoe, on the border of California and Nevada in the US, have been sealed off
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Boy, 10, dies from 'causes associated with plague' as officials urgently investigate
Black Death
The death of a 10-year-old boy from Colorado has been linked to the plague as the disease can be transmitted to humans from bites of infected fleas or the handling of infected animals
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Scientists re-discover 5,000-year-old strain of bacteria that caused the Black Death
Black Death
Experts found the ancient bacteria was less deadly than the medieval variant of Y. pestis that caused a pandemic that killed up to half of Europe’s population in the 1300s
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Black Death victims vomiting blood as death toll on the rise in African nation
Black Death
An outbreak of bubonic plague has left victims vomiting blood as health authorities revel at least 11 people as young as 30 have died over two weeks with many vomiting blood
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Hunt for 'Animal X’ hiding deadly virus that could kill more than 75m in pandemic
Coronavirus
Experts believe there are more diseases ready to jump from animals to humans, with some fearing the next pandemic could kill more than the 75 million who perished in the Black Death
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'Disease X' and 8 other deadly viruses health experts warn 'pose threat to mankind'
World Health Organisation
The World Health Organisation has listed nine dangerous viruses that post a threat to mankind, and can lead to international epidemics. Among the list are Disease X, Zika virus and Ebola
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