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#palaeontology
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Image credit by Pablo Avalos Prado
Image credit by Pablo Avalos Prado
Image credit by Pablo Avalos Prado
Pablo Avalos Prado
Pablo Avalos Prado
Pablo Avalos Prado
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
Neuroscientist & Medical Writer
May 11, 2023
May 11, 2023
May 11, 2023
Tooth Pendant Reveals Prehistoric Woman from 20,000 Years Ago
Tooth Pendant Reveals Prehistoric Woman from 20,000 Years Ago
Tooth Pendant Reveals Prehistoric Woman from 20,000 Years Ago
A new technique has allowed the obtention of DNA of a woman who lived 20.000 years ago from a tooth pendant found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. This new method will be useful to obtain more information about ancient human populations who lived during Prehistory.
In the words of Yuval Noah Harari, the author of the acclaimed book “Sapiens: From Animals to Gods”, there were humans long before there was history. Indeed, thanks to the tools, objects and paintings found in archaeological excavations we have a clear idea about the way our ancestors used to live and what they liked to do. In addition, ancient human fossils found in these places are the most reliable source of information for evolutionary research to track the main genetic changes that eventually resulted in a strange species called Homo Sapiens.
The necessity of non-destructive techniques to study Prehistoric samples
Hominin fossils are very rare and most of the techniques employed by evolutionary scientists need to fragment these valuable remains for the analysis of the samples. In addition, sometimes it is difficult to link items found in caves to specific human populations, like the tools found in the Denisova Cave, a place that hosted both Denisovans and Neanderthals species.
In this regard, a new study published in Science has reported a method that, similarly to modern-day forensic investigations, allows the recovery of DNA from tools that our ancestors used to manipulate, rather than from human samples. More specifically, the authors of this work applied this technique on a tooth pendant found in the archaeological excavation of the Denisova Cave to identify its carrier: a woman belonging to an Eurasian tribe of Homo Sapiens in Siberia who lived 20.000 years ago during the Upper Palaeolithic.
For this aim, the authors initially tested different chemicals on bone-made items found decades ago in the excavations of Quinçay and Les Cottés in France to select a non-destructive buffer. Teeth and bones are convenient for the extraction of DNA due to their porosity and the presence of hydroxyapatite, which allows the binding of fluids like saliva and sweat and the preservation of the DNA of both the animal and the person who carried the object. The best buffer was able to preserve the samples and to induce the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is broadly used in evolutionary research given its high quality and presence in cells.
The DNA extracted from 20.000 years old pendant reveals the identity of the carrier
The genetic analysis revealed the existence of mtDNA from reindeer and elephant (which indicates the origin of the bones used to make the objects) and also of modern human DNA in all samples. This probably comes from the fact that these artifacts were handled by bare hands during and after the excavation, a contamination issue probably present in most of the items found in old Paleontologic investigations.
To prevent this problem, the scientists studied objects collected from current excavations (where they use gloves and masks) in Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) and Denisova Cave (Russia). They initially identified the origin of the bone materials (mostly bovine, ursin and cervid) by using the same protocol applied on the Quinçay samples. The object from the Denisova Cave, a tooth pendant, was the item that revealed more phylogenetic and dating data.
The utilization of probes specifically targeting mtDNA from cervid species showed that the tooth used for the pendant was extracted from a wapiti, also known as elk (Cervus canadensis). Then the authors used specific probes to target human mtDNA to analyze the human sequences impregnating the tooth pendant, which predominantly corresponded to the same individual, presumably the owner or the maker of the object. Moreover, the comparison of these sequences with present-day and ancient human mtDNA genomes estimated the age of the sample in ~18.500 years.
Finally, the scientists used standard nuclear DNA (extracted from the nuclei of cells) and found that the sequences showed high affinity to ancient North Eurasian human tribes residing in East Siberia 17.000 - 24.000 years ago. Moreover, the comparison of chromosomes with DNA from other records allowed them to determine that the owner was a female Homo Sapiens.
These findings are the closest we are by now from time traveling into the past. However, there are still a number of drawbacks like the contamination of samples with modern human DNA found in artifacts from other records that can be prevented by using masks and gloves. Also, this new technique of DNA extraction prevents sample destruction but it is time-consuming and requires sophisticated material from specialized laboratories, which means that future research should be focused on improving the streamline.
By unraveling the genetic secrets hidden within these artifacts, we can uncover the intricate tapestry of our shared human history and gain a deeper appreciation for the journey that has led us to where we are today.
Original article
A new technique has allowed the obtention of DNA of a woman who lived 20.000 years ago from a tooth pendant found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. This new method will be useful to obtain more information about ancient human populations who lived during Prehistory.
In the words of Yuval Noah Harari, the author of the acclaimed book “Sapiens: From Animals to Gods”, there were humans long before there was history. Indeed, thanks to the tools, objects and paintings found in archaeological excavations we have a clear idea about the way our ancestors used to live and what they liked to do. In addition, ancient human fossils found in these places are the most reliable source of information for evolutionary research to track the main genetic changes that eventually resulted in a strange species called Homo Sapiens.
The necessity of non-destructive techniques to study Prehistoric samples
Hominin fossils are very rare and most of the techniques employed by evolutionary scientists need to fragment these valuable remains for the analysis of the samples. In addition, sometimes it is difficult to link items found in caves to specific human populations, like the tools found in the Denisova Cave, a place that hosted both Denisovans and Neanderthals species.
In this regard, a new study published in Science has reported a method that, similarly to modern-day forensic investigations, allows the recovery of DNA from tools that our ancestors used to manipulate, rather than from human samples. More specifically, the authors of this work applied this technique on a tooth pendant found in the archaeological excavation of the Denisova Cave to identify its carrier: a woman belonging to an Eurasian tribe of Homo Sapiens in Siberia who lived 20.000 years ago during the Upper Palaeolithic.
For this aim, the authors initially tested different chemicals on bone-made items found decades ago in the excavations of Quinçay and Les Cottés in France to select a non-destructive buffer. Teeth and bones are convenient for the extraction of DNA due to their porosity and the presence of hydroxyapatite, which allows the binding of fluids like saliva and sweat and the preservation of the DNA of both the animal and the person who carried the object. The best buffer was able to preserve the samples and to induce the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is broadly used in evolutionary research given its high quality and presence in cells.
The DNA extracted from 20.000 years old pendant reveals the identity of the carrier
The genetic analysis revealed the existence of mtDNA from reindeer and elephant (which indicates the origin of the bones used to make the objects) and also of modern human DNA in all samples. This probably comes from the fact that these artifacts were handled by bare hands during and after the excavation, a contamination issue probably present in most of the items found in old Paleontologic investigations.
To prevent this problem, the scientists studied objects collected from current excavations (where they use gloves and masks) in Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) and Denisova Cave (Russia). They initially identified the origin of the bone materials (mostly bovine, ursin and cervid) by using the same protocol applied on the Quinçay samples. The object from the Denisova Cave, a tooth pendant, was the item that revealed more phylogenetic and dating data.
The utilization of probes specifically targeting mtDNA from cervid species showed that the tooth used for the pendant was extracted from a wapiti, also known as elk (Cervus canadensis). Then the authors used specific probes to target human mtDNA to analyze the human sequences impregnating the tooth pendant, which predominantly corresponded to the same individual, presumably the owner or the maker of the object. Moreover, the comparison of these sequences with present-day and ancient human mtDNA genomes estimated the age of the sample in ~18.500 years.
Finally, the scientists used standard nuclear DNA (extracted from the nuclei of cells) and found that the sequences showed high affinity to ancient North Eurasian human tribes residing in East Siberia 17.000 - 24.000 years ago. Moreover, the comparison of chromosomes with DNA from other records allowed them to determine that the owner was a female Homo Sapiens.
These findings are the closest we are by now from time traveling into the past. However, there are still a number of drawbacks like the contamination of samples with modern human DNA found in artifacts from other records that can be prevented by using masks and gloves. Also, this new technique of DNA extraction prevents sample destruction but it is time-consuming and requires sophisticated material from specialized laboratories, which means that future research should be focused on improving the streamline.
By unraveling the genetic secrets hidden within these artifacts, we can uncover the intricate tapestry of our shared human history and gain a deeper appreciation for the journey that has led us to where we are today.
Original article
A new technique has allowed the obtention of DNA of a woman who lived 20.000 years ago from a tooth pendant found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia. This new method will be useful to obtain more information about ancient human populations who lived during Prehistory.
In the words of Yuval Noah Harari, the author of the acclaimed book “Sapiens: From Animals to Gods”, there were humans long before there was history. Indeed, thanks to the tools, objects and paintings found in archaeological excavations we have a clear idea about the way our ancestors used to live and what they liked to do. In addition, ancient human fossils found in these places are the most reliable source of information for evolutionary research to track the main genetic changes that eventually resulted in a strange species called Homo Sapiens.
The necessity of non-destructive techniques to study Prehistoric samples
Hominin fossils are very rare and most of the techniques employed by evolutionary scientists need to fragment these valuable remains for the analysis of the samples. In addition, sometimes it is difficult to link items found in caves to specific human populations, like the tools found in the Denisova Cave, a place that hosted both Denisovans and Neanderthals species.
In this regard, a new study published in Science has reported a method that, similarly to modern-day forensic investigations, allows the recovery of DNA from tools that our ancestors used to manipulate, rather than from human samples. More specifically, the authors of this work applied this technique on a tooth pendant found in the archaeological excavation of the Denisova Cave to identify its carrier: a woman belonging to an Eurasian tribe of Homo Sapiens in Siberia who lived 20.000 years ago during the Upper Palaeolithic.
For this aim, the authors initially tested different chemicals on bone-made items found decades ago in the excavations of Quinçay and Les Cottés in France to select a non-destructive buffer. Teeth and bones are convenient for the extraction of DNA due to their porosity and the presence of hydroxyapatite, which allows the binding of fluids like saliva and sweat and the preservation of the DNA of both the animal and the person who carried the object. The best buffer was able to preserve the samples and to induce the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is broadly used in evolutionary research given its high quality and presence in cells.
The DNA extracted from 20.000 years old pendant reveals the identity of the carrier
The genetic analysis revealed the existence of mtDNA from reindeer and elephant (which indicates the origin of the bones used to make the objects) and also of modern human DNA in all samples. This probably comes from the fact that these artifacts were handled by bare hands during and after the excavation, a contamination issue probably present in most of the items found in old Paleontologic investigations.
To prevent this problem, the scientists studied objects collected from current excavations (where they use gloves and masks) in Bacho Kiro Cave (Bulgaria) and Denisova Cave (Russia). They initially identified the origin of the bone materials (mostly bovine, ursin and cervid) by using the same protocol applied on the Quinçay samples. The object from the Denisova Cave, a tooth pendant, was the item that revealed more phylogenetic and dating data.
The utilization of probes specifically targeting mtDNA from cervid species showed that the tooth used for the pendant was extracted from a wapiti, also known as elk (Cervus canadensis). Then the authors used specific probes to target human mtDNA to analyze the human sequences impregnating the tooth pendant, which predominantly corresponded to the same individual, presumably the owner or the maker of the object. Moreover, the comparison of these sequences with present-day and ancient human mtDNA genomes estimated the age of the sample in ~18.500 years.
Finally, the scientists used standard nuclear DNA (extracted from the nuclei of cells) and found that the sequences showed high affinity to ancient North Eurasian human tribes residing in East Siberia 17.000 - 24.000 years ago. Moreover, the comparison of chromosomes with DNA from other records allowed them to determine that the owner was a female Homo Sapiens.
These findings are the closest we are by now from time traveling into the past. However, there are still a number of drawbacks like the contamination of samples with modern human DNA found in artifacts from other records that can be prevented by using masks and gloves. Also, this new technique of DNA extraction prevents sample destruction but it is time-consuming and requires sophisticated material from specialized laboratories, which means that future research should be focused on improving the streamline.
By unraveling the genetic secrets hidden within these artifacts, we can uncover the intricate tapestry of our shared human history and gain a deeper appreciation for the journey that has led us to where we are today.
Original article