Science – Discovery of DNA from two million years ago

Des fragments d’ADN vieux de deux millions d’années extraits du sol groenlandais ont permis de reconstituer la faune et la flore de l’époque : saules, bouleaux, mastodontes, cerfs et plusieurs autres espèces, occupying a milieu bien plus chaud qu’ Today (above, view of the artist). The previous record for the age of DNA was that of a mammoth that died 1.2 million years ago. In this case, DNA fragments were found in the clay, which played a protective role. This bodes well for the discovery, one day, of DNA fragments, especially DNA from our ancestors, in African clay. (Nature)