Oldest DNA Ever Found

A femur found by chance on the banks of a west Siberian river in 2008 is that of a man who died around 45,000 years ago. Subjected to DNA testing, the genome contains traces from Neanderthals who just recently were found to have interbred with humans before disappearing. In fact Neanderthal DNA is found in all modern humans except Africans. Up to 4% of our DNA can be Neanderthal. 

I've had mine tested and it is over 3%. The bone found had tiny amounts of Neanderthal DNA but it was in relatively long strips, whereas Neanderthal DNA in modern human genome has been cut up and dispersed in tiny sections as a result of generations of reproduction.

This find is allowing scientists to work out a "calendar" of when Homo Sapiens headed into South Asia. The team calculates it was no more than 60,000 years ago.


More information can be found at Oldest DNA ever found sheds light on humans' global trek