Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have extracted a Stone Age woman’s DNA from 5,700-year-old “chewing gum.”The “gum” is made from birch pitch, according to researchers, and was once chewed by the Stone Age woman. Birch pitch is a substance made by heating birch bark. Researchers successfully extracted a complete human genome from the birch pitch, which was found in Southern Denmark. Scientists also found DNA that could be related to the Epstein-Barr virus, underlining how items such as the Stone Age "chewing gum" could offer insight into the development of human pathogens. In 2017, for example, experts in Scotland used 3D-technology to reconstruct the face of an 18th century "witch."

Source: Fox News December 17, 2019 21:11 UTC