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The first humans who settled in Scandinavia more than 10,000 years ago left their DNA in ancient chewing gum, masticated masses made from birch pitch.
This is demonstrated in a new study conducted at Stockholm University and published in Communications Biology.
There are few human bones of this age, nearly 10,000 years old, in Scandinavia, and not all have enough DNA for archeogenetic studies. In fact, the DNA of these recently examined chewing gums is the oldest human DNA sequenced to date in this region. DNA from three individuals, two women and one man, creates a fascinating link between material culture and human genetics.
Old chewing gum is now an alternative source of human DNA and may be a good indicator of human bone in archaeogenetic studies. The pieces studied come from Huseby-Klev, one of the first Mesolithic hunter-fishing sites on the west coast of Sweden. The site excavation took place in the early 1990s, but it was not possible to analyze old human DNA yet, let alone from non-human tissue. The putties were made from birch bark tar and used as glue in the manufacture of tools and in other types of technology during the Stone Age.
"When Per Persson and Mikael Maininen proposed to look for hunter-gatherer DNA in Huseby Klev chewing gum, we were hesitant, but we were really impressed by the fact that archaeologists took care to preserve such fragile materials, "says Natalija Kashuba, an affiliate of The Museum of Cultural History in Oslo has carried out her experiments in cooperation with the University of Stockholm.
"It took a bit of work before the results overwhelmed us, because we realized that we had stumbled into this" forensic research "of sequencing the DNA of these putty clumps, which were spit on the site about 10,000 years ago! "says Natalija Kashuba. Today, Natalija is a PhD student. student at the University of Uppsala.
Exciting link between material culture and human genetics
The results show that, genetically, the individuals whose DNA has been found share a close genetic affinity with other hunter-gatherers in Sweden and with the first Mesolithic populations of the Ice Age in Europe. However, the tools produced on the site were part of the lithic technology brought to the site from the plain of Eastern Europe, modern Russia. This cultural and genetic influx scenario in Scandinavia from two routes was proposed in previous studies. These old chewing gums are an interesting link between tools and materials used and human genetics.
Emrah Kırdök from Stockholm University performed computer analyzes of DNA. "Demographic analysis suggests that the genetic makeup of Huseby Klev individuals has more similarities than western hunter-gatherer populations compared to East hunter-gatherer populations," he says. declared.
"The DNA of these ancient chewing gum has tremendous potential not only to trace the origin and movement of peoples, but also to provide information about their social relationships, diseases and food." Per Persson declares at the Museum of Cultural History. in Oslo. "Much of our history is visible in the DNA we carry with us, so we try to search for DNA wherever we think we can find it," says Anders Götherström of the Archaeological Research Laboratory of the United States. Stockholm University, where the work was carried out. . The study is published in Communications Biology.
Stockholm University
Header Image – Masticate under review, Photo: Natalija Kashuba / Stockholm University
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