Secrets of Stone Age woman are laid bare in her chewing gum
THE complete genetic code of a Stone Age woman has been recovered from a piece of ancient chewing gum.
It is the first time such a feat has been achieved without the use of human body parts.
Archaeologists have known for some time that people as far back as the Neanderthals used tar from birch trees to make sticky adhesive for mounting tools. Tooth marks found in discarded pieces suggest they also chewed the tacky substance, possibly to soften it to make it more malleable for working.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen found a 5,700-year-old piece of ancient gum during excavations at Syltholm, east of Rødbyhavn in southern Denmark, ahead of the building of a new tunnel. When they analysed the pitch, they found the complete genome of a late Mesolithic or early Neolithic female, named “Lola” by the team.
The DNA showed she had dark hair, dark skin and blue eyes. And her last meal before she spat out the gum had been duck and hazelnuts.
It is the first time that a full genetic sequence from an ancient site has been recovered without the need for bones. “It is amazing to have got a complete ancient human genome from anything other than bone,’’ said Hannes Schroeder, the professor who led the research. “We also retrieved DNA from oral microbes, and several important human pathogens, which makes this a very valuable source of ancient DNA, especially for time periods where we have no human remains.”
Some archaeologists believe that birch tar was chewed to relieve toothache because it is mildly antiseptic, or may have acted as a prehistoric toothbrush. The Syltholm gum was found encased in mud, which preserved genetic information from the saliva.
The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.