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Abstract
Paleogenomic research can elucidate the evolutionary history of human and faunal populations. Although the Levant is a key land-bridge between Africa and Eurasia, thus far, relatively little ancient DNA data has been generated from this region, since DNA degrades faster in warm climates. As sediments can be a source of ancient DNA, we analyzed 33 sediment samples from different sedimentological contexts in the Paleolithic layers of Sefunim Cave (Israel). Four contained traces of ancient Cervidae and Hyaenidae mitochondrial DNA. Dating by optical luminescence and radiocarbon indicates that the DNA comes from layers between 30,000 and 70,000 years old, surpassing theoretical expectations regarding the longevity of DNA deposited in such a warm environment. Both identified taxa are present in the zooarchaeological record of the site but have since gone extinct from the region, and a geoarchaeological study suggests little movement of the sediments after their deposition, lending further support to our findings. We provide details on the local conditions in the cave, which we hypothesize were particularly conducive to the long-term preservation of DNA—information that will be pertinent for future endeavors aimed at recovering ancient DNA from the Levant and other similarly challenging contexts.
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1 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leipzig, Germany (GRID:grid.419518.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2159 1813); Tel Aviv University, Department of Anatomy and Anthropology and Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel (GRID:grid.12136.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0546); Tel Aviv University, The Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, Tel Aviv, Israel (GRID:grid.12136.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0546)
2 George Mason University, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Fairfax, USA (GRID:grid.22448.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8032); Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Tübingen, Germany (GRID:grid.10392.39) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1447); Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen, The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Tübingen, Germany (GRID:grid.10392.39) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1447)
3 University of Haifa, The Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies, Department of Maritime Civilizations, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, Haifa, Israel (GRID:grid.18098.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0562); University of Haifa, The Haifa Center for Mediterranean History, Haifa, Israel (GRID:grid.18098.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0562)
4 University of Haifa, Zinman Institute of Archaeology, School of Archaeology and Maritime Cultures, Haifa, Israel (GRID:grid.18098.38) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0562)
5 Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel (GRID:grid.452445.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 2358 9135)
6 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leipzig, Germany (GRID:grid.419518.0) (ISNI:0000 0001 2159 1813)
7 Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities at the University of Tübingen, The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, Tübingen, Germany (GRID:grid.10392.39) (ISNI:0000 0001 2190 1447)