Archaeologists frequently recover bone tools and jewelry from ancient sites but lack the means to identify what humans used them tens of thousands of years ago, unless the artifacts are found in specific graves.
That could be changing, however, with the discovery and careful analysis of a 20,000-year-old deer tooth pendant from the famous Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains in Russia. Using a new method, the researchers concluded from DNA evidence that the pendant’s owner, and perhaps creator, was an Ancient North Eurasian woman.
The discovery began as a quest to analyze the DNA attached to bone and tooth artifacts without damaging them, which is not easy. Normal DNA extraction destroys a certain amount of bone, and extraction of DNA through harsh chemicals can damage the specimens themselves.
To find alternatives, the researchers submerged animal bones discovered at Stone Age sites in four gentler chemicals to test the results. ...
