Many people believe the Black Death spread quickly across Asia. This idea claims the disease raced to Europe at unprecedented speed. Many say this rapid spread created the deadliest outbreak ever recorded. However, the real story of Yersinia pestis transmission is far more complex.

This myth about rapid spread comes from a single medieval poem. Ibn al-Wardi wrote this poem in the 14th century. It was always intended as fiction that described the plague’s emotional impact. Yet it became the foundation for centuries of speculation and misunderstanding.

Ibn al-Wardi’s poem uses a wandering trickster as its framing device. The trickster represents the plague as a roaming, deceptive presence. This literary style shaped how later readers imagined the disease. It was never meant to serve as scientific or historical evidence.

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Tuberculosis bacteria are like pests that burrow underground and vanish. When pesticides hit, they harden into shells and hide in the soil. They look dead, but later, they erupt and devour everything. A quiet field becomes a feeding ground all over again.

New research published in npj Vaccines shows TB uses similar tricks. The bacteria “play dead” to survive attacks from the immune system. After vaccination, TB changes its behavior to escape destruction. It becomes quiet, stops growing, and hides from immune cells.

Later, the bacteria can wake up and spread inside the host. This reactivation can cause lung disease and infect other people. The tactic helps TB remain the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Each year, TB kills around 1.25 million people worldwide.

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The human body, like other organisms, is always fighting to survive. It needs resources and strong defenses to function and stay alive.

New research published in Nature has revealed a hidden messenger. This discovery changes what we know about how the body fights its ongoing battle.

T cells, which help the immune system, were once thought to avoid the brain. Scientists believed they only entered during illness or injury. But the new study found T cells in healthy brains of mice and humans. Researchers located the cells in the subfornical organ, deep in the brain.

This small region helps control hunger, thirst, and other survival needs. T cells here may act as messengers between the gut and the brain. These cells could send real-time signals that shape behavior and appetite. Scientists think they may carry updates on gut health and nutrition.

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Some religious traditions teach that world history began 6,000 years ago. Science does not support this exact timeline. But a major shift in human life did happen at that point: farming and livestock domestication began spreading across Eurasia.

New research in Nature shows that more than crops and animals multiplied. Zoonotic pathogens—diseases from animals—first appeared about 6,500 years ago. These infections surged around 5,000 years ago. The rise of pastoral life helped them spread more easily.

Scientists studied ancient DNA to trace disease over time and space. They analyzed samples from 1,313 individuals across 37,000 years. The microbes came from 136 different genera—bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Of these, 3,384 matched known human pathogens.

Thousands of these diseases had never been seen in ancient remains. This study reveals how microbes changed with human culture. It marks a turning point in the long story of human health.

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Chagas disease acts as an infiltrator, spy, and assassin at different stages in its lifecycle. The parasite hides so well that most people don’t know they’re infected until it’s too late.

Kissing bugs carry the parasite and spread it while people sleep. These insects bite the face, which gave them their name. The parasite enters through wounds when the bug’s feces mix with the bite.

The parasite is a single-celled organism that changes four times. These changes help it survive shifts in acidity, temperature, and nutrients.

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati are trying to stop the parasite’s life cycle. They use gene editing to block the transformations that help it survive.

If the parasite can’t transform, it can’t complete its mission. Its cover is blown, and the host finally detects the enemy within.

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Wisdom tooth extraction is a rite of passage for millions each year. Threatening, inconvenient, and painful, the third molars are often removed and discarded. But new research published in Stem Cell Research & Therapy shows these teeth contain valuable stem cells. These cells may help treat brain, heart, and joint diseases.

Each wisdom tooth holds dental pulp, a soft core filled with stem cells. In lab settings, researchers can turn these cells into nerve, bone, or heart tissue. Remarkably, lab-grown neuron-like cells from wisdom teeth can fire electrical signals. This means they may one day replace damaged brain cells.

Roughly 10 million wisdom teeth are removed in the U.S. each year. Most are thrown away, but they may be a hidden medical resource. New findings suggest these cells could be key to future therapies.

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ME/CFS and long-COVID are post-viral illnesses with overlapping symptoms. These include fatigue, brain fog, gut problems, and exercise-related crashes. But the exact cause of these conditions is still not known. This gap limits efforts to create effective treatments.

Researchers now propose a new explanation for how these begin. They believe viral infections damage blood vessel cells called endothelium. This damage can happen directly or through other immune responses.

In certain body areas, these damaged cells may become senescent. Senescent cells stop working properly but still send strong chemical signals in a “zombie-like” state. This occurrence is called the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, or SASP.

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If immune system cells appreciated music, they’d probably love “Here Comes the Sun” as much as the rest of us do. A new study suggests daylight boosts the infection-fighting power of neutrophils, the body’s most common white blood cells. Neutrophils have internal clocks that respond to light. When the sun is up, these clocks activate and help neutrophils kill bacteria more effectively.

Researchers at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, conducted the study. They used transparent zebrafish, which have immune systems similar to humans. Zebrafish are ideal for studying how cells behave in real time.

The study’s findings could lead to new treatments that target neutrophil clocks to improve immunity. Neutrophils are key players in defending the body against bacterial infections. By understanding how light affects their activity, scientists may unlock new ways to boost the immune system.

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Sometimes, small changes bring unexpected benefits. A person with sore feet might buy orthopedic shoes. Suddenly, their nighttime back pain improves due to better posture. In medicine, small shifts can create similar ripple effects.

A new study shows this may be true for some vaccines. Shingrix and Arexvy protect against shingles and RSV, respectively. But they may also reduce the risk of dementia. The research, published in npj Vaccines, revealed striking results.

Both vaccines contain the immune-boosting adjuvant known as AS01. Shingrix recipients showed an 18% lower risk of dementia. Those who received Arexvy saw a 29% reduced risk. Together, the vaccines lowered dementia risk by 37%.

The results suggest dementia may not be a standalone disease. Instead, it could reflect an immune disorder within the brain. This shifts how we understand, prevent, and possibly treat dementia.

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The brain may serve as a watchtower for the immune system. It spots possible infection threats and sounds the internal alarm. As a result, the immune system may react before a virus ever enters the body.

A new study explored how the brain senses and prepares for infection. The findings show how this early response may prime immune defenses in advance.

Researchers used virtual reality to show sick avatars approaching participants. These avatars moved into participants’ peripersonal space—the area immediately near the body. The brain responded to this possible threat before any real contact happened.

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