Our understanding of plague, past and present, will contribute directly to our ongoing struggle with epidemic diseases, present and future. Previous research that has focused on questions such as why/how did plague reemerge in 14th century Asia and how/why did it disappear from Europe in the 18th century suggests a role for specific environmental conditions, including soil. However, the specific soil properties and conditions that may or may not foster the residence of plague in soil are largely unknown, though our recent work suggests soil pH and mineralogy could play a key role. This soil forensics focused project is part of a much larger ERC funded project involving epidemiologists, historians and environmental scientists all seeking to understand the factors that have led to previous spreads of plague and the implications for the present and future. The project will seek to address key questions including: How might the type of soil influence the reemergence of plague? What are the crucial soil properties linked to plague residence? What are the current conditions in soils where plague currently resides (such as in China) that support plague residence and how do they differ to European soils? How might the microscopic soil structure, developed by fleas carrying plague, contribute to plague residence?
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