From the tooth of a mammoth that roamed Earth more than one million years ago, scientists have pulled traces of the ancient bacteria that once lived inside it. The discovery marks the oldest host-associated microbial DNA ever recovered, offering a rare glimpse into the hidden microorganisms that shaped the lives (and perhaps even the deaths) of these extinct giants. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Scientists at the Centre for Palaeogenetics in Sweden analyzed microbial DNA from 483 mammoth specimens, of which 440 were sequenced for the first time. Their aim was to test whether they could distinguish between the mammoth’s own DNA and the soup of other genetic material left from microbes that invaded their body before and

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