The mystery: How did bubonic plague spread so rapidly? Could rat fleas have done it all? A new study points the finger at lice as possible accomplices.

(Image credit: plague)

A case in Oregon is a rarity in the United States. It is not expected to spread. But this ancient and deadly disease remains a threat around the world.

For centuries, scientists and historians have wondered where the Black Death — the deadliest pandemic in recorded history — came from. New research sheds light on the ancient disease.

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The wealthy merchant city of Dubrovnik, in present-day Croatia, had a problem. The Black Death was killing much of Europe, but Dubrovnik didn't want to lock down and lose business.

(Image credit: Rob Schmitz)

Frank Snowden, author of the book, Epidemics and Society: From the Black Death to the Present, describes how pandemics stretching back centuries and our responses to them have shaped history.

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Authorities censored Chinese-language news of the hospitalization of a couple who traveled from Mongolia to Beijing for treatment, perhaps to tamp down fears.

(Image credit: Oxford Science Archive)

The ancient disease is still around — and killed a couple in Mongolia just this month. Here's a look at the history — and persistence — of the plague.

Many images that have been traditionally used to depict the Black Death are, in fact, not images of the plague at all. Now, a group of dedicated historians are trying to correct the record.

(Image credit: A. Dagli Orti)

In medieval times, they called it "the black death." It's still around, routinely cropping up in the U.S. This time, the New Mexico Department of Health reports three cases.

The city fathers didn't understand the plague they faced in the Middle Ages. Yet they improvised brilliantly. A new paper explains how their mindset is a model for how to face an unknown threat.

(Image credit: Marco Di Lauro)