No, it’s not a poop
Did you see this story today? This is the 5,700 year old wad of gum that scientists in Denmark have used to analyze an ancient woman’s DNA.
Based on the findings, she had dark hair, dark skin and blue eyes. I wonder what the relationship is between her and modern Danes and why that combination is rare now?
They also were able to sequence some bacteria from her mouth and ascertain her meal before chewing gum included duck and hazelnuts.
Not exactly gum. It was birch sap, which has some antibacterial properties that help preserve all this junk.
There were some related articles about things they’ve learned about the prehistoric diet from analyzing tooth plaque, but most of the links I hit were behind the paywall. I used to read Science News religiously in the States. Every time I think I’ll break down and buy a subscription, they run another article on global warmening and it gives me a sad.
Posted: December 17th, 2019 under history.
Comments: 6
Comments
Comment from Uncle Badger
Time: December 17, 2019, 9:44 pm
Duck and hazelnuts, eh? Must be an ancestor of mine. That’s my kind of food.
Comment from Ben
Time: December 17, 2019, 10:44 pm
Check out American Scientist magazine, much less nonsense.
https://www.americanscientist.org/
Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: December 17, 2019, 10:46 pm
And she swallered it, and it kilt her.
Just like your momma told you would happen if you swallered your Beemans.
But I guess that’s betteran being kilt by the apple seed that grew in your stomach after ya swallered it.
Comment from tomfrompv
Time: December 18, 2019, 3:05 am
We know the gum wad is 5700 years old. But how old was the woman?
Maybe she found it stuck under a table in the library.
Comment from DurnedYankee
Time: December 18, 2019, 3:08 pm
DurnedYankee’s Birchsap gum!
The taste of nature, and environmentally friendly to boot!
Try our Sprucegum flavor too!
At DurnedYankee gum company we use only the finest most natural ingredients, we…huh?
What?
The eco freaks are complaining because it still hasn’t broken down after 5700 years?
Okay, replace the bit about “environmentally friendly” with “Lasts a long time”!
Geeze, why do I hire you whizkid marketing experts if I have to come up with this myself!
And get Tupperware on the phone, I have an idea for longer lasting storage containers.
Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: December 18, 2019, 3:18 pm
To be sung to the tune of:
“Does your bubblegum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6bFTVi0hHs
Did that birchbark gum lose its flavor
At an archeological site?
If a Scientist says “Cavewoman chewed it!”
Do you swallow that BS outright?
Hey, we can analyze her ancient saliva
And get her hair color right!
Or did some student touch it with her fingers
Leaving epithelial cells left and right?
Did that birthbark gum lose its flavor
At that archeological site?
Write a comment
Beware: more than one link in a comment is apt to earn you a trip to the spam filter, where you will remain -- cold, frightened and alone -- until I remember to clean the trap. But, hey, without Akismet, we'd be up to our asses in...well, ass porn, mostly.<< carry me back to ol' virginny