Ancient human DNA recovered from a Palaeolithic pendant

Elena Essel (), Elena I. Zavala, Ellen Schulz-Kornas, Maxim B. Kozlikin, Helen Fewlass, Benjamin Vernot, Michael V. Shunkov, Anatoly P. Derevianko, Katerina Douka, Ian Barnes, Marie-Cécile Soulier, Anna Schmidt, Merlin Szymanski, Tsenka Tsanova, Nikolay Sirakov, Elena Endarova, Shannon P. McPherron, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Janet Kelso, Svante Pääbo, Mateja Hajdinjak, Marie Soressi () and Matthias Meyer ()
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Elena Essel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Elena I. Zavala: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Ellen Schulz-Kornas: University of Leipzig
Maxim B. Kozlikin: Russian Academy of Sciences
Helen Fewlass: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Benjamin Vernot: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Michael V. Shunkov: Russian Academy of Sciences
Anatoly P. Derevianko: Russian Academy of Sciences
Katerina Douka: University of Vienna
Ian Barnes: Natural History Museum
Marie-Cécile Soulier: Université de Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, CNRS UMR 5608 TRACES
Anna Schmidt: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Merlin Szymanski: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Tsenka Tsanova: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Nikolay Sirakov: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Elena Endarova: National Museum of History
Shannon P. McPherron: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Jean-Jacques Hublin: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Janet Kelso: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Svante Pääbo: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Mateja Hajdinjak: The Francis Crick Institute
Marie Soressi: Leiden University
Matthias Meyer: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Nature, 2023, vol. 618, issue 7964, 328-332

Abstract: Abstract Artefacts made from stones, bones and teeth are fundamental to our understanding of human subsistence strategies, behaviour and culture in the Pleistocene. Although these resources are plentiful, it is impossible to associate artefacts to specific human individuals1 who can be morphologically or genetically characterized, unless they are found within burials, which are rare in this time period. Thus, our ability to discern the societal roles of Pleistocene individuals based on their biological sex or genetic ancestry is limited2–5. Here we report the development of a non-destructive method for the gradual release of DNA trapped in ancient bone and tooth artefacts. Application of the method to an Upper Palaeolithic deer tooth pendant from Denisova Cave, Russia, resulted in the recovery of ancient human and deer mitochondrial genomes, which allowed us to estimate the age of the pendant at approximately 19,000–25,000 years. Nuclear DNA analysis identifies the presumed maker or wearer of the pendant as a female individual with strong genetic affinities to a group of Ancient North Eurasian individuals who lived around the same time but were previously found only further east in Siberia. Our work redefines how cultural and genetic records can be linked in prehistoric archaeology.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06035-2

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