Scientists may have discovered the origins of the Black Death

Researchers say DNA analysis and evidence from gravestones point to a specific geographic area

The Black Death began in 1338 in what is now Kyrgyzstan, new research suggests.

The bubonic plague outbreak ravaged the world between 1346 and 1353 and is the most deadly pandemic recorded in human history, causing the deaths of up to 200 million people.

Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is spread by fleas, but it can also take a secondary form where it is spread from person to person via droplets in the air.