Educator Guide: Plague Immunity Left a Lasting Mark

November 19, 2022

archaeologists excavating graves of plague victims at a London cemetery — Using DNA from the excavated remains of plague victims, including those buried in a London cemetery from 1348–1349, and from people who died earlier and later, researchers searched for evidence of how the Black Death pushed the immune system to evolve.

Courtesy of Museum of London Archaeology

About this guide

Traces of one of history’s most infamous pandemics may linger in our genes. In this guide, students will learn about a genetic link between the Black Death and a modern-day disease and discuss basic genetics concepts at the individual and population levels.

This Guide Includes:

The Black Death’s genetic legacy

Students will read and answer questions about the online Science News article “Black Death immunity came at a cost to modern-day health.” A version of the article, “Plague immunity left a lasting mark,” appears in the November 19, 2022 issue of Science News.

Let population genetics be your guide to evolution

Population genetics bridges the basic concepts of genes and inheritance, often studied at the individual level, with the larger concept of how a species evolves. In this discussion, students will review basic genetics concepts and investigate an example of evolution within the human population.