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In the 14th century, the Black Death(Plague) took out as much as 60% of the population of Europe, spreading rapidly from the shores of the Black Sea to central Europe. Although historical records first document its appearance in 1346 C.E. in the lower Volga region of Russia, researchers didn’t know whether the highly virulent strain of Yersinia pestis bacterium that caused the deadly pandemic came from a single source or was introduced to Europe more than once by travelers carrying diverse strains of plague from different parts of the ancient world.

Now, by analyzing 34 ancient genomes of Y. pestis from the teeth of people buried at 10 sites across Europe from the 14th to 17th centuries (including a mass grave in Toulouse, France—above), researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany, have found the earliest known evidence of this pandemic comes from Laishevo, in Russia’s Volga region. There, researchers found a strain of Y. pestis that was ancestral to all other genomes they studied, differing by only one mutation from those that caused the Black Death in Europe, they report today in Nature Communications.

That doesn’t mean the Volga region was ground zero for the Black Death—it could have come from elsewhere in western Asia, where scientists have yet to sample ancient DNA of Y. pestis. The researchers found that once the plague made it to Europe, a single strain was responsible for the Black Death, from Italy to the United Kingdom. This strain also gave rise to other variants of Y. pestis that caused deadly plague outbreaks from the late 14th through the 18th centuries. This suggests the bacterium persisted locally in Europe, perhaps in rodent hosts, where it evolved into diverse strains that caused later epidemics.

Ancient DNA shows "The Plague" originating from Russia’s Volga region


Three Louisiana women were recently apprehended after they allegedly abused a paralyzed dog named 'Buddy'. According to a vet who examined the dog, his hind legs appear to have been cut off in such a horrible animal cruelty. Following the disturbing occurrences, 'Buddy' has been receiving proper medical treatment that he critically needed for months prior, as official are left perplexed at why anyone would do such a malicious act to harm this dog.

This 2 year old dachshund was first discovered in the pouring rain at a mobile park home last week by a Slidell, LA resident, a spokesperson from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (STPSO) said in a press conference.

A local animal rescue "Dante’s Hope East" was brought to the scene on September 25th to retrieve the abandoned canine who was left to die, but instantly contacted the sheriff’s office when they noticed 'Buddy’s back legs were both missing. After investigating, officials were able to determine who Buddy’s owners were a 50-year-old Slidell woman and her 17-year-old daughter, both of whom were arrested for animal cruelty as well as more of the dog’s heartbreaking back story.

According to the STPSO spokesperson, Buddy was shot in February 2019 and although the two women reported the incident to law enforcement at the time, they did not seek out any medical help or treatment for their puppy’s injuries. After the incident, Buddy suffered from partial paralysis in his legs and was unable to walk, forcing the dog to drag his legs behind him, which caused severe sores on his legs.

the STPSO spokesperson said that when they were confronted about Buddy’s missing hind legs, the two women claimed they “fell off” after they bandaged them too tight. However, a board-certified veterinarian orthopedic surgeon refuted that claim. After Buddy was examined, the Vet concluded that his wounds were “maliciously inflicted” by his owners and ruled out any probability of the pup’s legs being removed by a medical professional or by natural means.

A Facebook fundraiser that was created on behalf of Buddy amid his health crisis also explained how serious the dog’s condition was.
“He has a bone sticking out and infection setting in. Due to blood loss, he had to have a blood transfusion today in order to survive,” the fundraiser’s organizer, Gina Polk-Derouen, wrote on Sept. 24. That His wounds were cleaned, he had an IV and urinary catheter placed, and is now on IV antibiotics and pain meds until his values come up enough to survive surgery. His Xrays also show he has 2 bullets near his back,”
In just eight days, the fundraiser has raised over $18,600 for Buddy.

3 Women Arrested After Dog Is Found with His Hind Legs 'Intentionally' Cut Off

A Florida family is devastated that an eight-month-old pit bull died Tuesday after saving their two boys from a venomous snake attack. Gary and Gina Richardson's sons were in their backyard Monday in Sumter Country cleaning their dog Zeus' water bowl when a coral snake slithered it's way  to the two children.

"All of a sudden, he started attacking the snake which was close to my son and he was bit four times. I knew when he first came in that something was wrong and (it) was very traumatic because I knew he was dying,"
The family rushed Zeus to a vet in Ocala. The vet gave the puppy medicine and the family was hopeful that he would get better, but he died the next day.

“He’s been a member of the family,” Gina said. “It just killed us. We just knew the antivenom was going to work.”

Zeus lived with the Richardsons since he was born in January.

“Pit bulls are the most loyal dog I know of, and I’ve had a lot of different animals in my life,” Gary said. If you find (a pit bull) that’s aggressive, most likely, it’s because they weren’t treated right,” Gina said. “If you treat them right, they would give their life for you and I owe my son’s life to him.”

Pitbull dies after Saving Florida kids from Snake Attack


Dating back 1,800 years, the brass balsamarium shows head of a man wearing a cap made from the skin of a feline.(Image: © Daniela Agre)

The skeleton that was found in the grave belonged to a man who died when he was about 35 to 40 years old. Also buried with the remains, the team found a blade used to scrape sweat and dirt from the skin. Along side it rested the 1800 year old balsamarium: 


The balsamarium resembles a man with a goatee and a nose that looks to be broken or bent as if it had been injured and not fully healed. The man wears a cap that is made from the skin of a feline, probably a leopard, as archaeologists wrote in a paper published in the October issue of the American Journal of Archaeology. 



Many balsamariums have near identical features, such as a crooked or bent nose, have been found elsewhere in the Roman Empire and are often interpreted as depicting boxers or wrestlers.
"In our opinion, the grave belongs to a Thracian aristocrat, who has practiced sport in his everyday life, rather than to a professional athlete," Said Daniela Agre - archaeologist at the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, who led archaeological work at the site. 


The grave of the sports man or enthusiast will allow many researchers to have a better understanding of life in Thrace during the Roman Empire. It shows that at least the local elite have acquired many  practices from the Romans. This find shows how popular the sport was in these regions.

Ancient Sports-Man or Fan Found Buried with 1800 year old Head-Shaped Jar


BTS have really worked hard this year. One of their best accomplishments in 2019 has been for their album Map of the Soul: Persona, which topped the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, making it BTS' third No. 1 album on the chart. The achievement is remarkable since it means that BTS was the first artist since the Beatles to have three different albums rank at No. 1 within a year. It's not everyday you hear groups matching records set by the Beatles, and that's why people think BTS is worthy enough to receive a Grammy. Will BTS be nominated for a 2020 Grammy? It's definitely possible, especially with all BTS has accomplished in 2019.
A Grammy nomination is a huge honor and, if BTS were to be nominated, it would be yet another achievement BTS can add to their already-impressive resume. But how likely is it BTS will be nominated for a 2020 Grammy? Let's discuss what it takes to be eligible for a nomination.

According to the Grammy website, in order for an artist to be eligible for a Grammy, they need to have released music between Oct. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2019. BTS have released a lot of music in that timeframe, like RM's October 2018 mixtape Mono, their Map of the Soul: Persona album that dropped in April (which included their single "Boy With Luv" featuring Halsey), their BTS World: Original Soundtrack that came out in late June, and their Japanese single "Lights" that dropped in July. All of these projects are eligible for Grammy consideration since they were released between Oct. 1, 2018, and Aug. 31, 2019, and they're all certainly Grammy-worthy quality. But fans think the group's Map of the Soul: Persona album and its lead single, "Boy With Luv," featuring Halsey, are most likely to snag nominations due to their overwhelming accomplishments.
For a quick overview, BTS are seemingly qualified for the following awards:


  • Album of the Year for Map of the Soul: Persona and Mono
  • Record of the Year for "Boy With Luv," "Lights," and "Heartbeat"
  • Song of the Year for "Boy With Luv," "Lights," and "Heartbeat"
  • Best Pop/Duo Group Performance for "Boy With Luv" ft. Halsey, "Lights," and "Heartbeat"
  • Best Pop Vocal Album for Map of the Soul: Persona
  • Best Music Video for "Boy With Luv," "Lights," and "Heartbeat"
  • Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for BTS World: Original Soundtrack

Fans will be happy to hear that BTS' "Boy With Luv" is definitely being considered for a few Grammys. According to Billboard, BTS submitted the single for consideration for the following categories: Best Pop/Duo Group Performance, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year. It's unclear if BTS and Big Hit Entertainment have also submitted "Boy With Luv" for Best Music Video. While nominations are not announced until November, BTS fans are hopeful about the group’s chances.

“the day bts win a grammy, we’d probably trend keyboard smashes,” one fan joked.

Despite their success, BTS still faces xenophobia outside of South Korea. Some Western awards shows and radio stations do not treat BTS the same as other artists because they are Korean. BTS fans are hopeful and determined that BTS will prove naysayers wrong when the 2020 Grammys come around.

“mark your calendars, armys. on january 26, 2020, we will hear ‘the Grammy-award goes to.. BTS!!’ for the very first time after all what we and our boys have gone through the hands of this xenophobic society. WE WILL MAKE IT. BTS WILL MAKE IT,” a fan wrote on Twitter.

BTS Could Make History Again And Win the Grammy's 2020 Album of The Year Award !


A metal detector hobbyist has unearthed a rare 1,700-year-old gold collar in Estonia. Jegor Klimov was exploring a field at the ancient sacrificial site of Saaremaa as part of a search team led by archaeologist Marika Mägi when his metal detector alerted. The team had already decided to pack up and leave, but Klimov started to dig and revealed a tell-tale yellow glint. Archaeologists joined in and excavated a coiled up ring of gold with a serpent head on one end.

The collar dates to the Roman Iron Age, around the 3rd century A.D. Neck rings from this period were marks of high rank in Scandinavia, the more complex the design and construction, the more elite the wearer. Almost all the ones that have been discovered were found in bogs; none of them were found in graves. A few more simple arm rings and neck rings have been found in cremation burials. Studies of artifacts have found that objects buried in bogs were not, as a rule, the same as those buried in graves. Votive deposits were more precious, the best possible objects dedicated as sacrifices at sacred sites. Of the 60 or so extant gold neck rings from the Scandinavian Iron Age, almost all of them have been found in Sweden and Denmark. A handful have been found in Finland; one in Poland. This is the first of its kind found anywhere else in the Baltic states.

Very few artifacts from this period have been discovered in Estonia and gold objects from any period are extremely rare in the Estonian archaeological record. They can literally be counted on the fingers of one hand. At 175 grams in weight, this piece is the heaviest, most valuable gold archaeological artifact ever found in Estonia and must have belonged to someone of the highest rank among the Nordic elite. Its discovery supports the hypothesis that what is now western and northwestern Estonia had meaningful cultural contact with the peoples around the Baltic Sea and in Scandinavia as well as with the tribes in the modern-day Baltic states and Russia.

The Saaremaa piece may have been a bracelet, spiral collar or necklace. It’s difficult to say because, as is common with sacrificed objects, it was deliberately deformed, but its heavy weight and length suggests it was probably a neck ring.

“One can say that this is likely the most valuable single find,in the material sense, to be unearthed in Estonia,” Mägi explained to ETV news broadcast “Aktuaalne kaamera.” “It is believed that whoever wore these, they were a symbol of belonging to the highest echelons of society. So these are not regular bracelets. How this particular bracelet ended up in Saaremaa is an exciting question in its own right, and one we’ll likely never get a real answer for. This is a type of jewelry which throughout Scandinavia is considered one of the most significant items of the Roman Iron Age, and it is associated with royal power and royal families.”

Metal Detector Hobbyist Unearths a Rare 1,700-year-old Gold Collar in Estonia


Unearthed remains of a previously unknown military site include many coins and French tableware.


During redevelopment of the site in the Devon city archaeologists have described the important discovery, which occurred as important and unexpected. A Roman ditch was first uncovered, with further excavations revealing two more ditches running parallel to each other. These belonged to a previously unknown military site, which was either a fort occupied by an army unit or a defended compound.


Coins and pottery made in the area for the troops, as well as fine red samian tableware imported from France, were also discovered. The find was made by Cotswold Archaeology, which is working with Kier , the construction company, in the run-up to the renovation of a bus station and leisure complex.
Andrew Pye (archaeology officer at Exeter city council) said: “This is a very important, and completely unexpected, discovery, in an area that has been heavily changed by previous postwar redevelopment."
Along with other recent work in Exeter, it show just how much of the city’s history can survive in unlikely places, despite the damage caused by bombing and modern concrete foundations.


Roman fort discovered by Accident under Exeter bus station

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