Gerbils, Not Rats, May Have Caused Black Death

Black rats may not have been to blame for numerous outbreaks of the bubonic plague across Europe, a study suggests.

Scientists believe repeat epidemics of the Black Death, which arrived in Europe in the mid-14th Century, instead trace back to gerbils from Asia.

Professor Nils Christian Stenseth, from the University of Oslo, said, "If we're right, we'll have to rewrite that part of history."

The study is in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.