The Dept. of Anthropology at Harvard University is pleased to share that Christina (Tina) Warinner, John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences, recently co-authored a high-impact research article published in Science entitled "Natural products from reconstructed bacterial genomes of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic."
In a highly transdisciplinary study, scientists are rebuilding microbial natural products up to 100,000 years old using dental calculus of humans and Neanderthals.
Breakthroughs in ancient genome reconstruction and biotechnology are now revealing the rich molecular secrets of Paleolithic microorganisms. In a new study published in Science, a transdisciplinary team of researchers led by the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and Harvard University reconstructed bacterial genomes of previously unknown bacteria dating to the Pleistocene. Using their genetic blueprints, they built a biotechnology platform to revive the ancient bacteria’s natural products.
Read the article here.
Other Media Coverage:
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Harvard Gazette: Bringing Stone Age genomic material back to life, by Christy DeSmith, May 4, 2023, https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/05/bringing-stone-age-genomic-material-back-to-life/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Gazette%2020230505%20(1)
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Science: ‘Lost’ microbial genes found in dental plaque of ancient humans, by Andrew Curry, May 4, 2023, https://www.science.org/content/article/lost-microbial-genes-found-dental-plaque-ancient-humans
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Discover Magazine: What Were Stone Age Bacteria Like? We Now Have the First Clues, by Matt Hrodey, May 4, 2023, https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/what-were-stone-age-bacteria-like-we-now-have-the-first-clues
To learn more about Christina Warinner, visit The Warinner Group website here.