DNA reveals Shocking Facts about 2000 Years Old Mummy
For the first time, researchers have extracted human dna from the 'cement' used by head lice to adhere their eggs in the hair. The dna, which dates back at least 2000 years, may reveal fresh information about humanity's past. The dna was extracted from mummified remains dating from 1,500 to 2,000 years ago. Pre-Columbian human migration routes in South America have been shown via DNA.
Because skin cells from the scalp become encased in the cement created by female lice as they attach eggs, known as nits, to the hair, the dna was extracted from the cement. This strategy, according to the researchers, could allow for the study of many more unique samples from human remains where bone and teeth samples are unavailable. According to the study, which was led by the university of Reading and published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, most early humans had head lice, and their eggs abundant in historical hair specimens. The cement that binds head lice nits to the hair protects it.
"We have demonstrated that our genetic code can be kept by the sticky substance created by headlice on our hair, similar to the mythical account of mosquitos imprisoned in amber in the film Jurassic Park, containing the dna of the dinosaur host. Lichen biology, in addition to genetics, can reveal important details about how people lived and died thousands of years ago "According to Dr. Alejandra Perotti, Associate professor of Invertebrate Biology at the university of Reading,