Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
Scientists did something new. They found human DNA on the walls of old caves. DNA is like a tiny code that tells us about a person.
The caves are in Spain and Portugal. People painted pictures on these cave walls thousands of years ago.
One sample of DNA came from a small red dot painted on a wall. Someone may have touched the wall while making it, or long after.
This is the first time scientists have found human DNA this way. It could help us learn who painted the old cave art.
- DNA
- the material inside cells that carries information about a living thing
- cave
- a large natural hole in rock, often underground
- ancient
- very old, from a long time ago
- wall (cave)
- the side surface of a cave, often made of rock
- sample
- a small part of something used for testing or study
- paint (cave art)
- to make a picture using colored material on a surface
- discovery
- something new that is found or learned
- scientist
- a person who studies the world using careful methods
Level 2 — Elementary
For the first time, a team of researchers has successfully recovered ancient human DNA directly from the walls of prehistoric caves, opening a new way to study the people who once lived in and decorated these spaces.
The scientists collected samples from caves in Spain and Portugal, including pieces of unpainted rock as well as painted areas, such as a small red dot created with pigment thousands of years ago. Until now, most ancient DNA studies relied on bones or teeth, not on the surfaces of cave walls themselves.
The results showed that human DNA can survive on stone surfaces for thousands of years, even in places without visible remains. The DNA likely came from a person who touched the wall at some point, whether the original artist, an assistant, or simply someone who touched the art long after it was made.
The researchers were careful to note that the findings do not yet prove a direct link between the recovered DNA and the act of creating the artwork. Still, the discovery, published in the journal Nature Communications, gives scientists an entirely new tool for investigating prehistoric human activity.
- recover (data or material)
- to successfully obtain or retrieve something that was difficult to get
- prehistoric
- belonging to a time before written records existed
- pigment
- a substance that gives color to something, such as paint
- surface (rock)
- the outer layer or face of a rock or object
- artist (ancient)
- a person who creates art, in this context from long ago
- assistant
- a person who helps another person do a task
- investigate
- to study or examine something carefully to find out more
- tool (research)
- a method or instrument used to study or solve a problem
Level 3 — Intermediate
In a scientific first, a team of paleogeneticists has successfully recovered ancient human DNA directly from the walls of prehistoric caves, establishing an entirely new avenue for studying the individuals who once inhabited and decorated these spaces.
The researchers gathered samples from caves across Spain and Portugal, including both unpigmented rock fragments and painted surfaces, such as a small red dot rendered in ochre pigment thousands of years ago. Previously, the vast majority of ancient DNA research depended on skeletal remains, particularly bones and teeth, rather than on the inert stone surfaces of cave interiors.
The findings demonstrate that human DNA can persist on rock surfaces for millennia, even in locations lacking any visible organic remains. The genetic material likely originated from an individual who came into physical contact with the wall at some point, whether the original artist, an assistant present during its creation, or an unrelated visitor who touched the artwork long after its completion.
The research team was careful to emphasize that their results do not conclusively establish a causal link between the recovered DNA and the act of producing the artwork itself. Nevertheless, the discovery, published in Nature Communications, furnishes archaeologists with an unprecedented tool for probing prehistoric human behavior and presence.
- paleogeneticist
- a scientist who studies ancient DNA to learn about past organisms
- avenue (figurative)
- a method or approach for pursuing a goal or investigation
- ochre
- a natural earthy pigment ranging from yellow to reddish-brown
- inert
- lacking active biological or chemical properties; not reactive
- persist
- to continue to exist over a long period of time
- genetic material
- DNA or other substances in a cell that carry hereditary information
- causal link
- a direct connection where one thing is shown to cause another
- unprecedented
- never done or seen before
Level 4 — Advanced
In a scientific first, a team of paleogeneticists has successfully isolated ancient human DNA directly from the walls of prehistoric caves, inaugurating an entirely new methodological avenue for investigating the individuals who once inhabited and adorned these spaces.
The researchers assembled samples drawn from caves across Spain and Portugal, encompassing both unpigmented rock fragments and painted surfaces, including a small red dot rendered in ochre pigment millennia ago. Historically, the overwhelming majority of ancient DNA research has depended on skeletal remains, particularly bone and dentition, rather than on the ostensibly inert stone substrates of cave interiors.
The findings demonstrate that human genetic material can persist on rock surfaces across millennia, even in the absence of any visible organic remains. The recovered DNA most plausibly originated from an individual who made physical contact with the wall at some point, whether the original artist, an assistant present during its execution, or an unaffiliated visitor who touched the artwork long after its completion.
The research team was careful to underscore that their results do not conclusively establish a causal nexus between the recovered genetic material and the act of producing the artwork itself. Nevertheless, the discovery, published in Nature Communications, furnishes archaeologists with an unprecedented instrument for interrogating prehistoric human behavior and occupancy patterns.
- isolate (scientific)
- to separate and obtain a pure sample of a substance for study
- inaugurate
- to begin or introduce something significant, often formally
- dentition
- the arrangement and condition of teeth
- ostensibly
- as appearing or stated, though not necessarily true
- substrate (material)
- the underlying surface or material on which something acts or rests
- nexus
- a connection or link between a series of things
- unaffiliated
- not officially connected or associated with a particular group
- interrogate (figurative)
- to examine or investigate something closely and critically
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