Anna White
@annaewhite.bsky.social
PhD fellow at UCPH and UofYork studying ancient DNA 🧬🇳🇱🇬🇧
As an added bonus to the paper being published, I was interviewed about it for Science magazine! Read all about what we can learn from DNA and biomarkers from birch tar, which I so eloquently described as a “super cool sample type” 😅🧬
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides a rare window into life 6000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4qh8yTI
Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides rare window into life 6000 years ago
www.science.org
October 16, 2025 at 5:39 PM
As an added bonus to the paper being published, I was interviewed about it for Science magazine! Read all about what we can learn from DNA and biomarkers from birch tar, which I so eloquently described as a “super cool sample type” 😅🧬
Reposted by Anna White
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides a rare window into life 6000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4qh8yTI
Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides rare window into life 6000 years ago
www.science.org
October 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides a rare window into life 6000 years ago. https://scim.ag/4qh8yTI
Reposted by Anna White
#ProceedingsB in @science.org | Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Ancient chewing gum could reveal how early men and women split up their chores
Birch bark tar, used as chewing gum and glue, provides rare window into life 6000 years ago
www.science.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:04 PM
#ProceedingsB in @science.org | Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Anna White
Bestill my birch-tar-beating heart! 😍
The genetic sex ID analysis backs up other research indicating that using (and likely making) birch tar was something women & men & children did, so that sticky-stained and strongly-scented fingers were probably quite normal in such communities...
#Matriarcha 🏺
The genetic sex ID analysis backs up other research indicating that using (and likely making) birch tar was something women & men & children did, so that sticky-stained and strongly-scented fingers were probably quite normal in such communities...
#Matriarcha 🏺
How cool is #RealArchaeology? 🏺
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Birch bark tar was widely used throughout prehistoric Europe for hafting stone tools
as well as various other purposes. While previous research has mainly focused on the
identification and production ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 16, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Bestill my birch-tar-beating heart! 😍
The genetic sex ID analysis backs up other research indicating that using (and likely making) birch tar was something women & men & children did, so that sticky-stained and strongly-scented fingers were probably quite normal in such communities...
#Matriarcha 🏺
The genetic sex ID analysis backs up other research indicating that using (and likely making) birch tar was something women & men & children did, so that sticky-stained and strongly-scented fingers were probably quite normal in such communities...
#Matriarcha 🏺
Reposted by Anna White
How cool is #RealArchaeology? 🏺
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Birch bark tar was widely used throughout prehistoric Europe for hafting stone tools
as well as various other purposes. While previous research has mainly focused on the
identification and production ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 16, 2025 at 9:02 AM
How cool is #RealArchaeology? 🏺
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Well, it's "we can track down oral human & environmental #DNA from #Neolithic birch #tar which had been chewed thousands of years ago, telling us about Stone Age diet & what this tar was used for" cool. 🙌
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Very excited that the first chapter of my PhD is now published! 🧬 We analysed ancient DNA and biomarkers directly from artefacts, showing how birch tar provides insights into past societies, technology, resources, and health.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Ancient DNA and biomarkers from artefacts: insights into technology and cultural practices in Neolithic Europe | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Birch bark tar was widely used throughout prehistoric Europe for hafting stone tools
as well as various other purposes. While previous research has mainly focused on the
identification and production ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
October 16, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Very excited that the first chapter of my PhD is now published! 🧬 We analysed ancient DNA and biomarkers directly from artefacts, showing how birch tar provides insights into past societies, technology, resources, and health.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reposted by Anna White
Ancient DNA from Neolithic chewing gum reveals how Europe’s first farmers lived, worked, and ate. Birch tar preserves the intimacy of their daily lives in astonishing molecular detail. #Archaeology #Neolithic #AncientDNA #Anthropology www.anthropology.net/p/the-resin-...
The Resin That Remembered: How Ancient Birch Tar Is Rewriting the Story of Neolithic Life
New biomolecular evidence from prehistoric chewing gum reveals the intimate daily habits, diets, and toolmaking ingenuity of Europe’s first farmers.
www.anthropology.net
October 15, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Ancient DNA from Neolithic chewing gum reveals how Europe’s first farmers lived, worked, and ate. Birch tar preserves the intimacy of their daily lives in astonishing molecular detail. #Archaeology #Neolithic #AncientDNA #Anthropology www.anthropology.net/p/the-resin-...
Had a great time at my first #SMBE2025 in Beijing. Really enjoyed meeting (aDNA) scientists from all over the world, and talking about ancient mastics of course! 🌏🧬
July 24, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Had a great time at my first #SMBE2025 in Beijing. Really enjoyed meeting (aDNA) scientists from all over the world, and talking about ancient mastics of course! 🌏🧬