Researchers Identify Owner of Ancient Siberian Jewelry
2023-05-15
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1A new way of pulling DNA from soft materials such as bones, teeth and tusks makes it easier for scientists to find out about objects made by ancient people.
2As a result, researchers are working to learn about those who made and wore objects taken from a cave in what is now far eastern Russia.
3Elena Essel is with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany.
4She is the lead writer of a study recently published in the journal Nature.
5She and her team say they now know a lot about jewelry made 20,000 years ago -- and who wore it.
6Essel is a molecular biologist. She called the old items, such as an animal's tooth with a hole punched through it, "extremely fascinating."
7The scientists say a Stone Age woman wore the pendant.
8The piece of jewelry was carefully recovered from the Denisova Cave in Siberia.
9The new way of looking at DNA permits researchers to link one item, such as a piece of jewelry, to one person.
10The researchers only know very basic things about the person beyond their DNA.
11The DNA comes from sweat, bodily fluids or skin cells.
12They study the DNA at a lab in Leipzig, Germany.
13Scientists place the item into a liquid that "washes" out the DNA.
14They can then look at the liquid and find out about the people who once held the item.
15In this case, they say the pendant belonged to a woman who lived between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago.
16They could not say if the woman made it or only wore it.
17Essel said the new DNA science permits her to "travel back and have a glance into these people's lives."
18Essel said holding the item in her hand transported her back in time and she could imagine the person who made it.
19She thought of a lot of questions, such as: "Who was the person who made it? Was this tool passed down from one generation to the next, from a mother to a daughter or from a father to a son?"
20Essel added, "That we can start addressing these questions using genetic tools is still absolutely incredible to me."
21I'm Dan Friedell.
1A new way of pulling DNA from soft materials such as bones, teeth and tusks makes it easier for scientists to find out about objects made by ancient people. 2As a result, researchers are working to learn about those who made and wore objects taken from a cave in what is now far eastern Russia. 3Elena Essel is with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany. She is the lead writer of a study recently published in the journal Nature. She and her team say they now know a lot about jewelry made 20,000 years ago -- and who wore it. 4Essel is a molecular biologist. She called the old items, such as an animal's tooth with a hole punched through it, "extremely fascinating." 5The scientists say a Stone Age woman wore the pendant. The piece of jewelry was carefully recovered from the Denisova Cave in Siberia. 6The new way of looking at DNA permits researchers to link one item, such as a piece of jewelry, to one person. The researchers only know very basic things about the person beyond their DNA. The DNA comes from sweat, bodily fluids or skin cells. 7They study the DNA at a lab in Leipzig, Germany. Scientists place the item into a liquid that "washes" out the DNA. They can then look at the liquid and find out about the people who once held the item. 8In this case, they say the pendant belonged to a woman who lived between 19,000 and 25,000 years ago. They could not say if the woman made it or only wore it. 9Essel said the new DNA science permits her to "travel back and have a glance into these people's lives." 10Essel said holding the item in her hand transported her back in time and she could imagine the person who made it. 11She thought of a lot of questions, such as: "Who was the person who made it? Was this tool passed down from one generation to the next, from a mother to a daughter or from a father to a son?" 12Essel added, "That we can start addressing these questions using genetic tools is still absolutely incredible to me." 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 15___________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17journal -n. a magazine that reports items of special interest to small group of people 18jewelry -n. decorative objects people wear on their body 19fascinating -adj. very interesting 20pendant -n. a piece of jewelry worn around the neck 21glance -v. to look quickly at something 22incredible -adj. hard to believe 23___________________________________________________________________ 24We want to hear from you. Do you think there will be some surprises found due to the DNA research? 25Here is how our comment system works: 26Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.