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ScienceQuiet 8d · day 14

Ancient human DNA recovered from Spanish cave dirt without physical remains

Researchers extract 22,000-year-old genetic material from sediment in El Mirón Cave, advancing a field-changing technique that bypasses the need for bones or teeth.

newest coverage 7d agosummary written 7d ago7 pieces Google NewsNewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Researchers extracted nuclear DNA from sediment in Spain's El Mirón Cave dating to 22,000 years ago, without any skeletal remains present—a breakthrough for ancient human genetics.
  • The technique required sequencing a tiny sediment sample 100 times and filtering over a billion DNA fragments to recover usable genetic material, showing both technical sophistication and the scarcity of preserved DNA.
  • SedaDNA technology promises to free archaeology from dependence on fossil records, enabling study of human populations, migrations, and interactions previously invisible in the archaeological record.
  • The recovered DNA revealed the cave inhabitants belonged to a western ancestry group with dark features and included more males than females, representing genetic diversity among multiple individuals.

“This takes archaeology to a whole new level of processual research in some of the most exciting areas of modern archaeology, including mobility, diet, and family stories.”

2025 review authors (cited), Archaeology researchers · ScienceAlert ↗

University of Vienna Lead research institutionAlba Bossoms Mesa Evolutionary anthropologist, Max Planck Institute

Ancient human DNA recovered from Spanish cave dirt without physical remains
sciencealert.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 4 pieces in 4h at Oct 31, 1 PM; 7 pieces over 14 days (6 articles · 1 post) Oct 25, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 25, 5 PM — quietOct 25, 9 PM — quietOct 26, 1 AM — quietOct 26, 5 AM — quietOct 26, 9 AM — quietOct 26, 1 PM — quietOct 26, 5 PM — quietOct 26, 9 PM — quietOct 27, 1 AM — quietOct 27, 5 AM — quietOct 27, 9 AM — quietOct 27, 1 PM — quietOct 27, 5 PM — quietOct 27, 9 PM — quietOct 28, 1 AM — quietOct 28, 5 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 28, 9 AM — quietOct 28, 1 PM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 28, 5 PM — quietOct 28, 9 PM — quietOct 29, 1 AM — quietOct 29, 5 AM — quietOct 29, 9 AM — quietOct 29, 1 PM — quietOct 29, 5 PM — quietOct 29, 9 PM — quietOct 30, 1 AM — quietOct 30, 5 AM — quietOct 30, 9 AM — quietOct 30, 1 PM — quietOct 30, 5 PM — quietOct 30, 9 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — quietOct 31, 5 AM — quietOct 31, 9 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — 4 pieces · 3 articles · 1 post — Google News 2, Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Oct 31, 5 PM — quietOct 31, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 4 AM — quietNov 1, 8 AM — quietNov 1, 12 PM — quietNov 1, 4 PM — quietNov 1, 8 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 4 AM — quietNov 2, 8 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 4 PM — quietNov 2, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 4 AM — quietNov 3, 8 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quiet 12
Oct 26Oct 27Oct 28Oct 29Oct 30Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6now · 8:42 AM ET
  1. 2

    SedaDNA positioned as field-transforming methodology for archaeology

    Coverage emphasizes sedaDNA's potential to revolutionize archaeology by removing dependence on fossil records, with prior examples including 2021 Georgia cave mitochondrial DNA and 2026 Argentina rock art wall DNA, and a 2025 review predicting rapid expansion of the technique.

    “This is the first evidence for human DNA preservation on cave walls for thousands of years.”
    — Alba Bossoms Mesa, Max Planck Institute
  2. background

    Study details reveal scale of sedaDNA extraction and ancestry composition — Coverage clarifies the technical feat: researchers sequenced a sediment sample weighing only a few grains of rice 100 times, sifted through over a billion DNA fragments, and recovered nuclear DNA showing ancestry, sex ratio, and individual diversity from the cave inhabitants.

  3. 2 days quiet
  4. 1

    University of Vienna researchers publish sedimentary DNA study from El Mirón Cave

    Scientists extract ancient human DNA from cave sediment in Spain dating to approximately 22,000 years ago, with the findings published in Science Advances. The genetic material came from multiple individuals with no physical remains present in that cave layer.

    1. 1 outlet DNA of people who lived 22,000 years ago found in cave soil in Spain

      first by UA.NEWS, 7d ago

    2. 1 outlet Scientists Recovered 22,000-Year-Old Human DNA From Cave Dirt

      first by ScienceAlert, 7d ago

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Scientists Found Ancient Human DNA on Cave Walls for the First Time, and Some Came From Rock No One Ever Painted

    first by The Daily Galaxy, 11d ago · also SciTechDaily

    1 more headline