Tiny traces of DNA found in cave dust may unlock secret life of Neanderthals Advanced technique used

Advanced technique used to recover genetic material may help solve the mystery of early humans

Robin McKie Science editor
Sun 16 May 2021 04.45 EDT



A model of a Neanderthal man at the Natural History Museum in London. Photograph: Malcolm Park editorial/Alamy Stock Photo

Robin McKie Science editor
Sun 16 May 2021 04.45 EDT

Scientists have pinpointed major changes in Europe’s Neanderthal populations – from traces of blood and excrement they left behind in a Spanish cave 100,000 years ago.

The discovery is the first important demonstration of a powerful new technique that allows researchers to study DNA recovered from cave sediments. No fossils or stone tools are needed for such studies. Instead, minuscule traces of genetic material that have accumulated in the dust of a cavern floor are employed to reveal ancient secrets.

The power of cave dirt DNA analysis is the scientific equivalent of “extracting gold dust from the air”, as one researcher put it, and has raised hopes that it could transform our understanding of how our predecessors behaved.

“The potential of this technology is fantastic,” said Professor Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum, London. “You don’t need to have a stone tool or a fossil bone to find out if an ancient human had lived or worked at a site. All you need is the DNA that they left behind in the debris of their cave homes. That has enormous implications for all sorts of investigations.”

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/16/tiny-traces-of-dna-found-in-cave-dust-may-unlock-secret-life-of-neanderthals



Keith Richard