DNA in pendants made of deer teeth about 2,<> years ago was analyzed using a new method developed by a team of researchers in Germany and elsewhere, and found that Paleolithic women may have worn the pendant. The research team hopes that this method will provide clues to the owner of the excavated item from genetic information.
A research team from Germany and other countries published this in the British scientific journal "Nature" on the 3rd.
The research team has developed a new method for extracting DNA from the inside without destroying the excavated artifact by immersing it in a special liquid and slowly raising the temperature.
Using this method, DNA was extracted from a pendant made of deer teeth about 2,<> years ago found in the Denisova Cave in Siberia, and when analyzed in detail, it was found that it contained the DNA of a Paleolithic woman.
According to the research team, the genetic information of the woman is close to that of an ethnic group living in eastern Siberia at the time, and it is speculated that she may have worn or made a pendant.
It has long been pointed out that ancient excavated items made of stones and bones contain the DNA of humans at that time, and that they may be able to analyze their owners, etc., but research has not progressed with conventional methods because DNA cannot be extracted without destroying the excavated items themselves.
The researchers hope that this method will provide clues to the identity of the owner of the excavated item and the culture of the time from genetic information.