5,700-year-old "chewing gum" found in Denmark, holds key to lives of ancient people

For the first time, researchers have extracted a sample of an ancient human genome without using bones. The genome was extracted from a "chewing gum" found during the archaeological excavations at Syltholm in southern Denmark. The gum is believed to be 5,700-years-old and was reportedly chewed by a female. The find is important because this is the first time researchers have extracted an ancient human genome from a sample other than bones. 

Read: Aryan Invasion Theory Busted, 5000-year Old Harappan Genome Sequenced

5,700-year-old "chewing gum" found in Denmark

The researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark extracted the sample from a birch pitch and published the study in Nature Communications. The extraction helped scientists identify the diet of ancient humans and that the female was dark-skinned, had dark hair and blue eyes. Researchers also identified traces of plants and animal DNA in the pitch. The oral microbial DNA revealed the presence of several bacteria in the birch pitch. 

Read: From Deep Fakes To DNA Data Breach, These Advanced Cyber Threats Are Coming In 2020

The site where the birch pitch was discovered is known for being an ancient stone age site in Demark and is also one of the largest in the country. According to reports, the people occupying the area at the time were exploiting wild resources and it was during this time when they started domesticated animals. The individual who chewed the pitch was female and that she was genetically more closely related to western hunter-gatherers from mainland Europe than hunter-gatherers from central Scandinavia, the researchers wrote in the study.

Read: 'Gay Gene' Theory Finally & Utterly Dismissed By Massive DNA Analysis

The environmental conditions at the site of excavation helped in preventing the sample, researchers said. Scientists also said that the "chewing gum" holds great potential for identifying the living pattern of our ancestors and it will help in identifying genetic changes that have occurred since the stone age. Researchers are still studying the findings from the genomes extracted from the 5,700-year-old chewing gum and will further release their papers. 

Read: British Man Returns Ancient Helmets To Spain After Learning They Were Stolen