在5700年前的口香糖中發(fā)現(xiàn)的DNA有助于重現(xiàn)石器時代女性的形象

在5700年前的口香糖中發(fā)現(xiàn)的DNA有助于重現(xiàn)石器時代女性的形象

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have extracted a complete human genome from a chewed piece of birch pitch from the Stone Age.

哥本哈根大學(xué)的研究人員從一塊咀嚼過的石器時代的樺樹瀝青中提取了完整的人類基因組。

Artistic reconstruction of the person behind the ancient gum, whom researchers have dubbed Lola. (Photo: Tom Björklund)

A team of archaeologists found this form of "chewing gum" during an excavation on Lolland, an island in Denmark. The DNA within it has lasted more than 5,700 years, and researchers are calling it an untapped source of ancient DNA.

一組考古學(xué)家在丹麥的Lolland島上挖掘時發(fā)現(xiàn)了這種“口香糖”。其中的DNA已經(jīng)存在了5700多年，研究人員稱其為古代DNA的未開發(fā)來源。

This is the first time an entire ancient human genome has been extracted from anything other than bones. The research results were recently published in Nature Communications.

這是第一次從骨頭以外的物質(zhì)中提取出完整的古人類基因組。研究結(jié)果最近發(fā)表在《自然通訊》雜志上。

"It is amazing to have gotten a complete ancient human genome from anything other than bone," said Hannes Schroeder, associate professor at the Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, who led the research. "What is more, we also retrieved DNA from oral microbes and several important human pathogens, which makes this a very valuable source of ancient DNA, especially for time periods where we have no human remains."

哥本哈根大學(xué)地球研究所的副教授漢內(nèi)斯·施羅德領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了這項研究。“更重要的是，我們還從口腔微生物和幾種重要的人類病原體中提取了DNA，這使得它成為一個非常有價值的古代DNA來源，尤其是在我們沒有人類遺體的時期。”

Piece of birch pitch from Syltholm, southern Denmark. (Photo: Theis Jensen)

Based on the genome, researchers determined that the "gum chewer" was a female with dark skin, dark hair and blue eyes.

根據(jù)基因組，研究人員確定“嚼口香糖的人”是一位有著深色皮膚、深色頭發(fā)和藍(lán)色眼睛的女性。

They nicknamed her "Lola" and could tell she was closely related to hunter-gatherers from the mainland Europe rather than those who lived in central Scandinavia.

他們給她起了個外號叫“羅拉”，并能看出她與歐洲大陸的狩獵采集者關(guān)系密切，而不是與斯堪的納維亞半島中部的居民關(guān)系密切。

The discovery of the birch pitch occurred at an excavation in Syltholm, carried out by the Museum Lolland-Falster in relation to the construction of the Fehmarn tunnel.

樺木瀝青的發(fā)現(xiàn)發(fā)生在Syltholm的一次挖掘中，由Lolland-Falster博物館進(jìn)行，與Fehmarn隧道的建設(shè)有關(guān)。

"Syltholm is completely unique. Almost everything is sealed in mud, which means that the preservation of organic remains is absolutely phenomenal," said Theis Jensen, who worked on the study and participated in the excavations. He is doing postdoctoral research at the Globe Institute. "It is the biggest Stone Age site in Denmark and the archaeological finds suggest that the people who occupied the site were heavily exploiting wild resources well into the Neolithic, which is the period when farming and domesticated animals were first introduced into southern Scandinavia."

“Syltholm是完全獨特的。幾乎所有的東西都是密封在泥土里的，這意味著有機(jī)遺骸的保存絕對是驚人的。他在全球研究所做博士后研究。“這是丹麥最大的石器時代遺址，考古發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，占據(jù)該遺址的人在新石器時代就開始大量開發(fā)野生資源，這是農(nóng)耕和馴養(yǎng)動物首次被引入斯堪的納維亞半島南部的時期。”

Results from the DNA showed that Lola was likely consuming plants and animals like hazelnut and duck as part of her normal diet.

DNA檢測結(jié)果顯示，羅拉很可能把吃榛子和鴨子等動植物作為日常飲食的一部分。

In the Stone Age, birch pitch was not only used as chewing gum, but also as an all-purpose glue for hafting stone tools, according to the research. It may have even been used to relieve toothaches.

研究表明，在石器時代，樺木不僅被用作口香糖，還被用作制作石器的萬能膠。它甚至可能被用來緩解牙痛。

In addition, the researchers were able to extract bacteria from the DNA, which included many commensal species and opportunistic pathogens.

此外，研究人員能夠從DNA中提取細(xì)菌，其中包括許多共生物種和條件致病菌。

They even found remnants of the Epstein-Barr virus, which is known to cause infectious mononucleosis or glandular fever.

他們甚至發(fā)現(xiàn)了愛潑斯坦-巴爾病毒的殘余，這種病毒已知會引起傳染性單核細(xì)胞增多癥或腺熱。

"It can help us understand how pathogens have evolved and spread over time, and what makes them particularly virulent in a given environment," said Schroeder. " At the same time, it may help predict how a pathogen will behave in the future, and how it might be contained or eradicated."

施羅德說:“它可以幫助我們了解病原體是如何進(jìn)化和傳播的，以及在特定的環(huán)境中，是什么使它們特別具有毒性。”“與此同時，它可能有助于預(yù)測未來病原體的行為，以及如何控制或消滅它。”