In a first, Scientists Sequence 16,000-Year-Old Bear DNA From Cave Soil Samples

In one of the countless caves in Mexico, scientists were able to isolate DNA samples that belonged to extinct bear species. This is the first time such a study has been conducted. The scientists concluded that the soil samples retained the DNA of an Upper Paleolithic bear that used the cave as a toilet.

In fact, scientists have found and confirmed a new mechanism for detecting the DNA of ancient organisms like the newly discovered extinct bear species. Previously, it was considered possible to obtain it only from bone remains. Now, this can be done by examining soil samples of those territories where, according to scientists, ancient animals could have lived.

According to geneticist Eske Villerslev of the University of Copenhagen, they used very powerful methods of sequencing genetic profiles from fragments to obtain DNA.

As it turned out, not only bone formations can be of value, but also other genetic particles that are present in biological fragments. They can exist for more than 10 thousand years. The Chiquihuite Cave, where the specimens were found, is of historical importance.

In the past, archaeologists discovered about 2,000 stone tools and other remains in the cave. Analysis dated the tools to more than 25,000 years ago. This breakthrough discovery proves that people reached the Americas 15,000 years earlier than historians believed. Read the free article.