Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36008437›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2022

Extended longevity of DNA preservation in Levantine Paleolithic sediments, Sefunim Cave, Israel.

Viviane Slon, Jamie L Clark, David E Friesem, Meir Orbach, Naomi Porat, Matthias Meyer, Andrew W Kandel, Ron Shimelmitz

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
4.7field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 28 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Viviane SlonDepartment of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. viviane@tauex.tau.ac.il.
Jamie L ClarkDepartment of Sociology and Anthropology, George Mason University, MSN 3G5, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA.
David E FriesemThe Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, Department of Maritime Civilizations, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
Meir OrbachZinman Institute of Archaeology, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
Naomi PoratGeological Survey of Israel, 32 Yeshayahu Leibowitz Street, 9691200, Jerusalem, Israel.
Matthias MeyerDepartment of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Andrew W KandelThe Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.
Ron ShimelmitzZinman Institute of Archaeology, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
University of Haifa · ILMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology · DEGeological Survey of Israel · ILHeidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities · DEUniversity of Tübingen · DE

Funding

European Research Council 694707
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paleogenomic research can elucidate the evolutionary history of human and faunal populations. Although the Levant is a key land-bridge between Africa and Eurasia, thus far, relatively little ancient DNA data has been generated from this region, since DNA degrades faster in warm climates. As sediments can be a source of ancient DNA, we analyzed 33 sediment samples from different sedimentological contexts in the Paleolithic layers of Sefunim Cave (Israel). Four contained traces of ancient Cervidae and Hyaenidae mitochondrial DNA. Dating by optical luminescence and radiocarbon indicates that the DNA comes from layers between 30,000 and 70,000 years old, surpassing theoretical expectations regarding the longevity of DNA deposited in such a warm environment. Both identified taxa are present in the zooarchaeological record of the site but have since gone extinct from the region, and a geoarchaeological study suggests little movement of the sediments after their deposition, lending further support to our findings. We provide details on the local conditions in the cave, which we hypothesize were particularly conducive to the long-term preservation of DNA-information that will be pertinent for future endeavors aimed at recovering ancient DNA from the Levant and other similarly challenging contexts.

Indexed as

DNA, AncientHyaenidaeAnimalsArchaeologyBiological EvolutionCavesFossilsHumansInfant, NewbornIsraelDNA, Ancient

Identifiers

PMID36008437
PMCPMC9411205
OpenAlexW4293092677

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.