Science – 2 million year old DNA discovery

Two-million-year-old DNA fragments extracted from the soil of Greenland made it possible to reconstruct the fauna and flora of that time: willows, birches, sedges, deer and many other species, occupying an environment much warmer than today. (Above, artist’s view). The previous record for the age of DNA was that of mammoths, which died 1.2 million years ago. In this case, DNA fragments were found in the mud, which played a protective role. This bodes well for the discovery, one day, of DNA fragments, particularly DNA from our ancestors, in African clay. (nature)