50,000-Year-Old SA Antelope DNA Could Rewrite Africa’s Ancient DNA Record
- Researchers extracted ancient DNA from a mountain reedbuck tooth discovered in a Western Cape cave
- The find pushes back the oldest retrieved animal DNA in sub-Saharan Africa by roughly 30,000 years
- Scientists say the breakthrough could change how Africa's prehistoric biodiversity and extinctions are studied
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A tooth pulled from a cave in the Western Cape may hold the oldest animal DNA ever recovered in Africa. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Deon de Jager and Eline Lorenzen, published a study revealing that a partial molar from a mountain reedbuck, an antelope species still living today, yielded genetic material estimated to be up to 50,000 years old.
The specimen was excavated from Boomplaas Cave, located in the Swartberg mountains of the Western Cape. Its age alone is remarkable, but what makes it scientifically significant is what it challenges: the long-held belief that Africa's heat destroys DNA far too quickly for ancient samples to survive.
Ancient DNA survives Africa's heat
Until now, according to reports, successful ancient DNA research was largely confined to cold climates, where permafrost preserves genetic material in specimens like woolly mammoths. Sub-Saharan Africa, with its warmer conditions, was considered largely off-limits for this kind of research. This discovery changes that assumption entirely.
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To retrieve usable material, the team applied a single-stranded DNA extraction technique, a method designed to unzip damaged genetic fragments that standard laboratory processes typically miss. Researchers tested 144 fossil samples, both teeth and bones, drawn from six cave sites across the Eastern and Western Cape provinces, including Nelson Bay Cave in Plettenberg Bay. The fossils covered four living antelope species, Cape grysbok, grey rhebok, reedbuck, and eland, as well as African buffalo and the extinct giant long-horned buffalo.
Most samples that yielded viable DNA were younger than 11,700 years, the boundary between the Pleistocene and the Holocene epoch. On average, only 2% of extracted DNA belonged to the target species, with the rest coming from environmental microbes. Fossils younger than 2,000 years performed significantly better, producing up to 30% target DNA.
A new tool for conservation and extinction science
Beyond the headline finding, the research offers a practical screening method for future studies. Scientists discovered a 77% correlation between collagen preservation and DNA preservation in the fossils. Since testing for collagen is far cheaper than full DNA sequencing, researchers can use it to identify which specimens are worth pursuing before committing to costly analysis.
The implications stretch beyond archaeology. By mapping genetic diversity across thousands of years, scientists can establish a pre-human baseline for African wildlife populations, giving conservationists a clearer picture of biodiversity before modern human activity began reshaping ecosystems over the last two centuries. The data also opens a window into how animal populations survived or collapsed during the shift from the last ice age into the warmer world we inhabit today.
Source: Getty Images
More on SA's hidden history
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- A resurfaced account of South African soldiers who fought Nazi SS forces in Italy during World War II left many wanting the story taught in schools.
- A historic victory for the Khoi-San community after Home Affairs agreed to officially recognise their traditional names.
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Source: Briefly News
