In a first, scientists extract ancient human DNA from cave walls

In a first, scientists extract ancient human DNA from cave walls

In a first, scientists extract ancient human DNA from cave walls 7 Minutes Read 1416 Words EN HISTORY & CULTURE An international team of cave explorers has shown that cave walls and the prehistoric rock art that adorns them can preserve human DNA for thousands of years. Using sterilized scalpels and two layers of gloves, the research team collected samples from caves in Spain and Portugal, including unpigmented cave wall fragments from Tebellín Cave in Spain, seen here. Alberto Martínez Villa, Bossoms Mesa et al., Nature Communications (2026) By Nicholas St. Fleur Published June 26, 2026 Paleogeneticists have, for the first time, extracted ancient human DNA from cave walls, including from a crusty red dot painted thousands of years ago. For decades, efforts to decipher genetic clues from ancient humans and their relatives have relied on sequencing material from bones and dirt found in caverns where these ancient species left behind art or artifacts. The findings, which were published June 23 …