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Scientists Just Found Ancient Human DNA Preserved on Prehistoric Cave Paintings

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14.07.2026

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Scientists Just Found Ancient Human DNA Preserved on Prehistoric Cave Paintings

Researchers recovered genetic traces from rock art in Spain and Portugal, potentially revealing who created it thousands of years ago.

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We know who left behind prehistoric cave paintings. We have enough evidence from the various materials left behind, along with plenty of skeletal remains, to piece together a reasonably accurate image. But who were they, really, down in their DNA? That’s something we could never glean from cave paintings until now, according to new research published in Nature Communications.

New Scientist reports that an international team of researchers has discovered that traces of ancient human DNA can survive on cave........

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