400,000 year old DNA found in bear tooth

[Can o Beans]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060714/sc_afp/swedenspainscience_060714171218

STOCKHOLM (AFP) - A Swedish-led team of scientists has discovered 400,000-year-old DNA in bear teeth, the Uppsala University in Sweden said.


The team, made up of Swedish, Spanish and German researchers, discovered the remains of the bear in a cave in Atapuerca, northern Spain.


Doesn't do much to support or refute ID theory, but interesting nonetheless.

[Ian David]

1. Godless eating machines that wanted our cave-women. n/t

[MidwestTransplant]

2. I guess bears really are scavengers!

;)

[freethought]

3. Interesting! A "cave bear"!

Skeletal remains of cave bears showed them to be nearly twice as large and a full size grizzly bear. That's a big animal.
If the DNA is viable there may actually be a chance of cloning the animal.

[Posteritatis]

5. 400,000 years is kinda prehistoric, yeah... (n/t)

[Ediacara]

4. Whoa, that's VERY old

The oldest DNA found previously (that I can find data on, I could be wrong) is about 50ka, from a frozen mammoth. The article states "It is usually hard to find DNA that is older than 100,000 years." which may mean there is more recent data of something older.

Very cool! What I find surprising is that this find was of a bear found in a cave in Spain, which was probably hot and dry (which usually leads to desication and destruction of DNA). Generally the oldest DNA samples are from organisms found in permafrost.

[NorCalDem]

6. Bears, the #1 Threat to National Security

(just ask Stephen Colbert) :D

It's time for the Threatdown!!!

[Lisa]

12. indestructible bears, at that!

Stephen will have a field day with this one. Maybe he will put more paleontologists "on notice" (like the Journal of Paleolimnology, which I noticed is still on the board!).

[HuckleB]

7. What does support ID theory?

And how can you refute religious belief?

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

11. Nothing yet.

But some folks have their fingers crossed.

[Jackpine Radical]

14. Didin't you hear? They found part of Noah's Ark!!!!!1!1

Either that or just a really old piece of wood.

But probly part of Noah's Ark.

[HuckleB]

8. Looks like the ID crowd got the story removed?

[nealmhughes]

9. Cloned giant bears ---- on planes!

[SlipperySlope]

10. Is the DNA from the bear or from its lunch?

I don't think the article says...

[ozone_man]

13. The bear.

Though I was wondering the same thing. A 400,000 year old lunch would be pretty old. I suppose if it was something that kept refridgerated in the permafrost and resurfaced suddenly. But no permafrost in Spain. Maybe if it was dried like beef jerky. :)