(STUDY FINDS) – Scientists are thanking the “cement” coming from head lice for preserving DNA samples from 2,000 years ago. An international team says this substance encased ancient hairs from pre-Columbian mummies, preserving their DNA like a bug trapped in amber.
The team explains that head lice use this “cement” to essentially glue their eggs (nits) to the hair and scalp of people. Researchers found that even after 1,500 to 2,000 years, the nit cement kept the ancient humans’ DNA in better condition than samples coming from other fossils – such as teeth and bone fragments. Their findings are providing new insights into the migration of pre-Columbian humans within South America.
“Like the fictional story of mosquitos encased in amber in the film Jurassic Park, carrying the DNA of the dinosaur host, we have shown that our genetic information can be preserved by the sticky substance produced by headlice on our hair. In addition to genetics, lice biology can provide valuable clues about how people lived and died thousands of years ago,” says Dr. Alejandra Perotti, an associate professor of invertebrate biology at the University of Reading, in a release.
