Scientists think the amulet absorbed DNA from contact with the skin of the person who wore it. That DNA tells them it was a woman related to people who lived across northern Eurasia.
Scientists have discovered a woman's DNA preserved in a 20,000 year old deer-tooth pendant.
"It was clear that a human handled it and also potentially was wearing it, so we actually were hoping that ... the maker or user or wearer of this artifact left some of his or her DNA on this pendant."The pendant was discovered in Denisova cave, which has been a rich source of archeological finds about early humans in Eurasia for decades.
The pendant was made from a canine tooth of a species of deer known as wapiti. There is a hole drilled in the tooth, suggesting it was threaded with a cord and could've be worn."It's possible that it was worn like a necklace. Maybe it was part of a bigger necklace that contained more of those pendants," said Essel.Essel said that bones and teeth are very good candidates for extracting DNA because they are porous and the minerals in them binds to and protects the DNA.
"There's the mitochondrial DNA that is only inherited from mother to child and that we were able to reconstruct almost completely at a very high accuracy," Essel said.
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