Oldest Known DNA Discovered in Greenland

Oldest Known DNA , Discovered in Greenland . 'The Independent' reports that scientists have discovered the oldest known DNA, capturing a glimpse of life 2 million years ago in Greenland. . 'The Independent' reports that scientists have discovered the oldest known DNA, capturing a glimpse of life 2 million years ago in Greenland. . The study opens the door into a past that has basically been lost, Kurt Kjær, lead study author, geologist and glacier expert at the University of Copenhagen, via 'The Independent'. Researchers used environmental DNA (eDNA) found in soil samples which contains genetic material that organisms left behind. According to senior author Eske Willerslev, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge, researchers were able to extract genetic information from the small, damaged fragments of DNA. The samples were found in a sediment deposit called the Kap København formation in Peary Land. The DNA suggests that Arctic plants, like birch trees and willow shrubs, grew in the area alongside other plants that usually prefer warmer climates, like firs and cedars. Researchers also found traces of animal life including geese, hares, reindeer, lemmings and even the mastodon, an extinct species that was a cross between an elephant and a mammoth. According to Willerslev, these plants and animals existed at a time of dramatic climate change, and their DNA could hold the key to helping us adapt to current global warming. Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University, says that ancient DNA research will continue to push deeper into the past. . I wouldn’t be surprised if you can go at least one or perhaps a few million years further back, assuming you can find the right samples, Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University, via 'The Independent'

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