Especially archaeologists and other experts in this field have pulled back the curtains of the underground world and discovered He is working with all his might to dig up DNA samples.

Come see what archaeologists have discovered so far. Let’s look at the details of the oldest DNA layer.

First, let’s briefly talk about what DNA is.

DNA in humans and all other organisms It is hereditary material that contains genetic information for the development, growth, reproduction and function of that organism. Ancient DNA is genetic material isolated from ancient sources.

DNA molecules are quite fragile and break down over time, which shows us that it is incredibly difficult to find ancient examples. But of course it is not impossible.

The oldest DNA in the world was discovered in 2022 and was surprisingly 2 million years old.

This elephant-like mammal was unearthed from glaciers in northern Greenland. He was stuck in the frozen groundThe DNA sequence sheds light on the plant and animal species that once lived in the region.

Among them were geese, rabbits, reindeer, crabs. If of plants poplar, birch and arborvitae, and various arctic and boreal shrubs There was.

Before this discovery, the oldest DNA ever obtained had been It belonged to 1.2 million year old mammoth tusks found in the permafrost of SiberiaThis was the first example of DNA more than 1 million years old found in an ancient organism.

So what was the oldest human DNA?

When it comes to humans, things get a little more complicated. So our ancestors first evolved out of Africa, which was quite hot, and as you may have noticed, for example, and Most existing examples like this come from colder climates.

Because DNA breaks down faster in warm climates, it becomes difficult to find ancient samples that are not in permafrost. Despite all these difficulties, the oldest human DNA ever recorded is It comes from a 430,000 year old genome found in a cave in Spain.

An underground pit known as “Sima de los Huesos” (the bone pit), It contains the remains of 28 hominids, early members of the Neanderthal lineage.

In summary, this is the oldest DNA discovered in the world so far It belongs to an animal and is exactly 2 million years old.

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