Genevieve von Petzinger Samples 40,000-Year-Old Nerja Cave Art for Ancient DNA
Updated
Updated · National Geographic · Jun 18
Genevieve von Petzinger Samples 40,000-Year-Old Nerja Cave Art for Ancient DNA
1 articles · Updated · National Geographic · Jun 18
Summary
Spain’s Nerja Cave is the latest stop in Genevieve von Petzinger’s expedition to scrape tiny samples from Ice Age paintings in a bid to recover human DNA directly from cave art.
The effort aims to identify who made the art—potentially distinguishing Homo sapiens from Neanderthals—and to reveal sex, origins and possible family ties of painters otherwise known only from their images.
Using sterilized scalpels, the team cuts through calcite that may have sealed saliva or skin cells beneath the surface for more than 40,000 years, then sends the shavings to the Max Planck Institute for sequencing.
No researcher has yet extracted ancient human DNA from cave art, though cool limestone caves in Spain may preserve it better than warmer sites where similar attempts have failed.
Von Petzinger’s team is also training other scientists as it visits multiple Spanish caves, arguing DNA sampling should become routine across Europe’s roughly 400 painted caves before damage or collapse erases the record.
Can DNA from ancient paint prove Neanderthals were humanity's first great artists?
How can a microscopic rock shaving from a cave wall unmask an Ice Age artist?
Who Painted the First Caves? Ancient DNA, Dating Debates, and the Human Story Behind Prehistoric Art
Overview
Cave art research is entering an exciting era, marked by major breakthroughs in recovering ancient DNA directly from cave walls. These discoveries are providing new insights into the presence of humans and animals in prehistoric caves, offering a rare chance to connect genetic material to ancient artworks. However, these advances come alongside ongoing debates about how to accurately date cave art, which continues to challenge our understanding of who created the world’s oldest masterpieces. The field now stands at a crossroads, balancing innovative DNA techniques with the need for reliable dating methods to unlock the true story of our earliest artists.