The discovery will help understand how climate change affects the region.
Scientists discovered DNA fragments in Antarctica, the age of which estimated at a million years. As reported by Science alert, they were found in the Scotia Sea and can make an invaluable contribution to understanding the development of the region. In particular, researchers will be able to find out what lived here and when.
The recovered samples are called sedimentary DNA, and they are likely to be useful in determining how climate change will affect the Antarctic in the future. According to Linda Armbrecht of the University of Tasmania in Australia, this is the oldest marine sedimentary DNA so far known.
Also read: The sky over Antarctica turned a strange color: what caused it
Similar samples are found in a variety of environments, including ground caves and permafrost, in which sedimentary DNA dating back 400,000 and 650,000 years, respectively, was found.
The recovered DNA was discovered in 2019 and has since undergone a comprehensive contamination control process, to ensure the accuracy of the age markers embedded in the material.
Among other finds, the team discovered diatoms (single-celled organisms) that are 540,000 years old. Thanks to this, scientists can understand how this part of the world has developed over vast periods of time.
Scientists have been able to link a large number of algae to warm periods, the last of which was observed in the Scotia Sea 14,500 years ago. This has led to an increase in the activity of marine life in the region.
Related video
Earlier scientists from Stockholm University stated that rainwater around the world is unfit for drinking due to high levels of toxic substances known as PFAS . These substances are known as “eternal toxins” because they decay very slowly.
