The oldest DNA on Earth from 1 million years ago was discovered!   

In the icy waters of Antarctica

A group of researchers managed to discover in Antarctica the oldest marine DNA on Earth , dating it to about 1 million years ago.

Going into detail, pieces of organic material were found under the bottom of the Scotia Sea, north of Antarctica. The researchers call this particular type of DNA sedaDNA, a term that stands for ancient sedimentary DNA. This is particularly useful and can be found in a variety of environments, such as land caves and subarctic glaciers. In particular, researchers can use it to learn what lived in an area hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago, and it is also useful for understanding how climate change has affected and will affect areas such as Antarctica in in this case.

The findings were originally found in 2019, when they were excavated from the bottom of the Scotia Sea. This was immediately followed by careful analysis of the samples to accurately date them. In fact, at this stage the team also found single-celled organisms within the samples, which in turn have an “age” of at least 540,000 years. Combined, the single-celled organisms and the even more ancient sedaDNA allowed the researchers to form a clearer picture of the region’s evolution.

For example, the team was able to link the single-celled organisms to the warmest periods in the history of the Scotia Sea, the last being about 14,500 years ago. It is worth noting that this recent warmer period has led to an increase in marine life across the entire Antarctic region, but also to massive ice loss.

Speaking about the discovery, Linda Armbrecht of the University of Tasmania, Australia, said:

This is by far the oldest authentic marine sedaDNA extant.

The research has the official title ‘Ancient marine sediment DNA reveals diatom transition in Antarctica’ and was published in the scientific journal nature communications on October 2, 2022.

You can find it in its entirety by clicking here.