University of Cambridge

Stories

Study maps the uneven human toll of Japan's 7,300-year-old super-eruption

Host institution of the study's lead author

A volcano off southern Japan erupted 7,300 years ago, burying the archipelago in ash and killing many of the hunter-gatherers living nearby. New statistical modeling of 540 radiocarbon dates shows the human toll was sharply uneven: some regions emptied, others declined hundreds of kilometers away, and populations in northern Kyushu kept growing.

Updated Oct 23

Plague killed hunter-gatherer families 5,500 years ago, study finds

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Lead institution for the study

Ancient DNA from four hunter-gatherer cemeteries near Lake Baikal in Siberia shows plague was killing people 5,500 years ago. At least 18 of 46 individuals tested carried Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague — a 39% infection rate across the burial sites.

Updated Sep 15