Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery by extracting proteins from 2.2-million-year-old teeth found in South Africa’s Swartkrans cave. For the first time ever, researchers have determined the biological sex of ancient human relatives called Paranthropus robustus using molecular methods rather than just looking at bone size. The breakthrough comes from a technique called paleoproteomics, which analyzes preserved proteins in ancient tissues, particularly dental enamel. Unlike DNA, which rarely survives beyond 20,000 years in hot regions like Africa, proteins can remain intact for millions of years. “To extract ancient amino acids from hominin enamel this old and from this region of … Continue reading Proteins in 2.2-Million-Year-Old Teeth Reveal Male Human Ancestor Mistakenly Identified as Female