Ancient Human Dental Plaque Reveals Lost Microbial Genes

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The teeth of 19,000 year old woman “are helping illuminate a vanished world of bacteria and their chemical creations,” reports Science.org.

Researchers have recovered and reconstructed the genetic material of bacteria living in the mouth from the dental calculus of ancient bones. Sequencing the microbes and re-creating their chemical creations will help scientists find out how our microbiome have been altered since ancient times and what functions have been lost. Resurrecting these genes could help them develop new treatments for diseases.

Read more about this story from Science.org.

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