Author: Anna Kusmer / Source: Atlas Obscura
For ancient Scandinavians, chewing gum was not about passing the time or freshening breath. It was an essential tool. Archaeologists believe that chewed-up pieces of birch bark, the ancient equivalent of gum, were used by people as an adhesive, to hold together tools and weapons.
Now, a team of researchers want to know more about the people who chewed on this bark millennia ago.The researchers focused on three specimens, which were found at an archaeological site in Sweden. The trio look like masticated lumps with imprints of teeth or fingers. Preserved in these lumps are microscopic strands of human DNA, most likely from saliva. These strands tell a story about how Mesolithic people interacted with their environment.
“I think the most interesting part is that we’re actually capturing a moment,” says Natalija Kashuba, a Ph.D. student at Uppsala University in Sweden. Kashuba is the lead author on a study, pre-printed on bioRxiv, that presents an analysis of these bits of bark. “This isn’t DNA from deceased ancient individuals—we’re actually catching DNA from a person while they’re alive and doing something. I think that’s kind of fun and remarkable.”
Using state-of-the-art genetic technology, Kashuba and her collaborators were able to analyze pieces of human DNA encased in the gum’s resin. “These were processed…
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