Hunt for the Oldest DNA | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- Follow the quest to recover DNA millions of years old for the very first time.
Official Website: to.pbs.org/483Fzs7 | #novapbs
For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. But life’s genetic blueprint is incredibly fragile, and researchers have struggled to find DNA in fossils that could survive millions of years. Then, one maverick scientist had the controversial idea to look for DNA not in fossils or frozen ancient tissue - but in dirt. Join the hunt as scientists decipher the oldest DNA ever found, and reveal for the first time the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in a warm, lush Arctic.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
06:08 Challenges of Recovering Ancient DNA from Soil
22:36 Searching for Ancient Animal and Plant DNA in Greenland
37:59 Accurately Dating the Ancient DNA
43:03 How Did DNA Survive So Long?
45:23 What Was Earth Like Before the Ice Age?
48:15 Lessons Learned from the Pliocene
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When was the ice age, oldest dna, ancient dna, extinct animals, paleontology, pliocene, eske willerslev, dna sequencing - Наука та технологія
Hi everyone! I'm the writer and director of the doc tonight, and I'm having a virtual watch party with you all. Eating pizza and answering your questions. Trying to, at least... Enjoy the show!
Very good to know!👍
Awe! Thank you for sharing this with us all
Do you believe what you've published?..... Just wandering...
I love these shows
Thank you very much
When the story first came out in the media, it had only a few of the enticing details included in this documentary. I grieved it might take many more years before any team could come together and tell more of story. Its almost a miracle to have such a fine presentation come at us so soon.
Dealing with cutting-edge scientific information often means wading through professional jargon and academic language that confuses the average person.
Somehow, NOVA/PBS, it's writer and producers not only got right to the job, they've made it interesting and understandable, without dumbing it down.
All over the World, are people with insights than can be added to this work now that its out in this format.
Speaking of academic jargon, one of the first things that teachers and professors try to get across to students of biology and agronomy, is to never use the word DIRT when they refer to SOIL. But then, nobody knew about "DNA Dirt" and its incredible significance.
Many thanks.
Thanks for this thoughtful comment! We knew about the research leading to the Greenland DNA breakthrough for many years, which made it possible to film "behind the scenes" in the lead-up to the publication. The scientists were willing to work with us to convey their results in accessible and engaging ways, but as I'm sure you know, that translation process is very challenging. It took two years to make this film, and one year since the publication, so I'm thrilled to read that it meant so much to you!
I did. I consciously left my dna places which meant something to me.
This is fascinating! Thanks to all the scientists that do not accept “NO” as an answer!
Glad to hear it!
Yes, open minds please
And those post docs that were forced to
First Human DNA i
Has been found in few South Indian natives. All this is content is just money grabbing scheme
I feel energized and in awe of science, humanity, and the cycle of life….all within the span of an hour and without leaving my house. True magic! ❤️
That's awesome, Alyce. Thank you for leaving such a nice note.
Wonderful to hear, Alyce!
Gods handiwork
If ancient "DNA" is Harvested after "death" why all the plastic (trash/garbage/refuse/junk )protection gear having to be worn by the depicted scientists.
lol@@busterbeagle2167
Nova, I always appreciate your programs. Food for thought. Thank you.
This was really, really well done. Better than most nova episodes. Definitely need more like this and more ancient history topics. So many advances in DNA and discoveries around the world the last few years we need updates!
We're working on it - DNA science is moving so fast that there are new stories emerging continually.
@@user-cs2go6em2j I’m both grateful to live in a time we’re learning so much and bummed I won’t be around to see what we’ve learned in 100-200 years. I’ve always loved the story of human migration from Africa, particularly throughout Europe and the Middle East; but with the new finds in the Americas like White Sands, and all the advances and breakthroughs in DNA research, I’ve quickly become absolutely fascinated by how and when humans or maybe even other human species may have reached the Americas. I’m a huge history nerd and I’m genuinely stoked about all the amazing work being done and all the new info we’re getting almost daily at this point!
You are right Andy, this was superbly done. I am talking up there in the 98 percentile of anything I have ever watched on Nova.
@@chuckfrezzel348 I agree with that statement. 10-15 years ago they had some really great productions on human evolution and migration but they’ve been few and far between. I like your assessment lol
What we need is more people reading the Bible! Only God can save us.
I'm so glad I decided to "risk Hell" and got over the nonsense I was raised with of the Earth being 6000 years old. Scientific discovery is beautiful. Thank you, scientists, PBS and NOVA.
Same
Same here. I'm baffled at myself for believing it for so long.
proud of you, have never really been religious myself but watching people deny observable reality to cling to religious fairy tales makes me lose so much hope for humanity
This is amazing! Please keep doing more of this, Nova!!
Seriously! We need more ancient history from PBS.
Thanks!
RIP the careers of those post-docs who tried to sample the Greenland DNA before the technology was there :(
Willerslev understated the case when he called himself a bad supervisor. How nice that he seems to have outsourced the blame for the failures onto his grad students. How many careers did he kill, I wonder? 🤔
I was thinking the same thing, I hope they all found fulfilling careers.
Eske Willerslev has such a viscerally satisfying accent. I could listen to him for hours!
It is a bit distracting how much he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Me too!
I love that. It's true - he's a special communicator!
I think I fell in love with him in the first 1 minute of speaking. I would listen until the end of Eternity
I needed him to say "What killed the dinosaurs? DE ICE AGE!"
The closest we can get to going back in time in a time. Machine is through DNA and this is the type of dna knowledge. I love to learn about
I would say photographs are the closest. But I get what your saying.
Well if you find any Paleolithic photos _PLEASE_ be sure to let us all know 😉 lol
@@Andy_Babb Kepler, Hubble, James Webb, etc. all have photos from billions of years ago.
@@paulis7319 Touché, sir. Touché. Well played. lol
@@Andy_Babb Don't take that shite! Original post meant on planet earth obviously to understand OUR past not the Universe(s). definetly agree with you. There is no selfie stick in the caveman paintings and human photographs are more emotional than scientific.
Bravo for not giving up! Amazing discovery!
Thanks, I will pass that to Eske.
Wow, not only did this give me insight into the scientific discovery process, this show told me how this study of the past can be applied to our future. It explained why I should care. Such a compelling story!
If we could collect DNA from the future maybe more people would care about our present situation.
Wonderful to hear, Elizabeth! We really tried our best to convey the process of discovery, which is so challenging and fraught with risk. We think audiences are interested in that side of science, but you rarely see it in film and journalism.
Another reminder to always take the visionaries seriously, as they inevitably are the first to lead. And another illustration of how beauty and understanding can flower from the most humble and mundane materials.
There is a fine line between "visionary" and crackpot. You need evidence first before making claims. Thats Science. You don't just take it on a whim hoping it to be true
That's right, Barry. The history of science is replete with visionary mavericks.
Yea. If you “always take the visionaries seriously” then you will be following idiots most of the time.
@@williscopeland7114No you will be following people who dont make claims before they have sufficient evidence. What you want is someone who agrees with whatever you already believe.
20:34 A new record is for media wow factors. A new precedence is what science is all about... finding them. A new place to stand. A new perspective.
Thank you Eske and your team! Your Brillance astounded me!😊
He's in Denmark, and we're taking the film to him and his team in March. I will pass on your comment.
It's a shame that you can be doing science correctly, but if as an early career scientist you're in a lab that doesn't produce publishable results, it tanks your chances of a further career, before you ever had the chance to lead a team and direct your own research. I really feel for Eske's students who got the short end of the stick
I should tell you that most of Eske's students have gone on to brilliant careers. We just really wanted to convey the high stakes of working at the bleeding edge of science.
"The bleeding edge of science"!!! well done!@@user-cs2go6em2j
This is something programs always need to grapple with for their PhD students and postdocs. I believe a scientist who correctly designed a project and executed it to the best of their ability without getting publishable or 'positive' results still deserves to graduate and still deserves consideration for further work or postdoctoral appointments.
The scientific process absolutely requires failures and we do continue to learn from those. You should not need a 'bullseye' in your project to prove you are worthy of graduating. The fact you work on the cutting edge competently should be sufficient to move you forward.
The one question I have after watching is if the students who 'failed' to find the desired results did not pursue science further because they dropped out, failed out, quit, or for other reasons. I can understand if they were demoralized, but I am aggrieved if they were forced out in any way.
@@verity3616 (second reply because I forgot to add this part) I assumed from the way the students spoke about it that they were unable to get further in their careers not due to a disinterest, but due to road blocks. But I don't know anything beyond what was presented in this video
This documentary just blew me away. The scientist and narrator was a very unique individual. His passion and focus is incredible. One of the best documentaries I have ever seen, on any topic. I’m 64 and my thirst for knowledge has never stopped. Absolutely fantastic!
My humble thanks to all involved. Very fascinating.
It was a privilege, Guy. Thank you.
I now have the voice of the Terminator stuck in my head saying "And it all started with the dog pooping in the rain"
Wow. Blew my mind. There's got to be a grain of quartz sand with dino dna buried out there somewhere.
Oh, wouldn't that be amazing?!
@@user-cs2go6em2jno because the military and elite would turn it into something horrific
This was a magnificent story told so well. It is wonderful to see the human side of science told with humor. Eske is inspiring as a scientist and as a human being.
Thank you for saying it, Christine. He's a rare communicator.
I’ve always thought it would be interesting to do a dna profile of ancient people, such as battlefield victims at Towton, and then see if current relatives could be located through DNA genealogy.
That would not be impossible. In terms of aDNA preservation, that is practically yesterday.
I thought scientists already did that. I thought anytime they dug up a body they did dna. My daughter did her dna and the site matched her to a viking burial in Sweden.
It's already a thing, check out my true ancestry
Amazing documentary. This just goes to show how important our imaginations are.
Right?!?
And reading research
One must not forget that plate tectonics that can be traced back can show when species of fauna had the opportunity to migrate into all locations including Greenland.
Latitudes wouldn't be all that much different 3 million years ago
True. But the Canadian Arctic archipelago was connected to Greenland in Pliocene for other reasons. The Ice Age glaciers created the present pattern of straights and waterways in the Arctic, whereas in the Pliocene, the landmass appears to have been connected.
Very cool! Its amazing to know DNA survives so long.
Right?! On the other hand, most doubted it was possible.
DNA is everywhere, that’s how the earth was seeded. Apparently there’s also DNA in the universe everywhere. There has to be life everywhere throughout the universe considering that it is never ending. We can’t be that naïve, human advancements will continue to get better the faster the computers are.
My kids think I have the oldest cringiest DNA ever
Nova is the best. Always fascinating! Kudos to the writer/director of this segment.
Thank you very much! Very encouraging to read.
Regardless of "Jurassic Park", "2001: a space odyssey" has come and gone... but will never fade away.
I feel like everyone needs to watch this. Just to show how important science is for our future.
Just missed the party but watching it now...love this topic.
This production quality is amazing! 😍
It brings me such joy that Nova is still going strong
Me to - they are great partners to work with!
I want to know what DNA they find as the push the envelope in this technology. Give us an update in the future please.
Sure, please give us three years, and we'll be back with an update...
Trying! Your positive comments will help us convince NOVA to commit to future films about ancient DNA breakthroughs.
Now I'm wondering if his technique for finding DNA bonded to minerals could be used to find DNA from fossils that are fossilized by minerals replacing bone. Those same minerals could be bonding to the DNA in those fossils. And while they said they were looking at DNA from around the world, the only place they reported on getting a more complete environmental picture was Greenland. Where else are they finding ancient DNA from, and what kind of picture is that painting?
So many good questions. Eske and his team are now opening their search to all accessible areas of the Arctic (ie. not Russia), and we are going with him to Arctic Canada this summer. But the question of DNA preservation in mineralized fossils is still unknown - the thinking is that you need some organic preservations for amino acids to persist.
He also mentioned getting a sample from Siberia but unfortunately the sciences and especially these kinds of fields all hinge on funding
What an incredible legacy to a lifetime of original thinking
Eska was successful because he thought outside the box. Anytime someone presents an idea that’s outside the box, some people will reprimand them, laugh at them, call them an idiot. But Eska’s rebellious nature came in very handy. He believed in his idea even when nobody else would.
Excellent documentary on ancient DNA, specifically linking the knowledge on how this new discovery of ancient DNA in the final minutes of this video may provide solutions helping humanity if we human ignore/failed where most scientists trying hard to educate general public to take care mother earth!
Thank you, Frederick! Very perceptive - the seeds are now with us to employ aDNA to help life adapt to the warming world.
It is life boat type work our modern economy will sink if this becomes really useful stuff. Unfortunately our tribalism instinct that cause Chimps to war to the death over nothing at all and breaks populations into waring sides is holding us way back. Add in greed in some at the top it been a very hard problem to over come. And zealots who stretch to all are going to die don't help as they harm credibility. Massive economic harm, massive refugee problems, probably a few billion dead good enough reasons to want to slow climate change down as much as we can.
THIS! This rocked my world (yes the pun is intended) I am in awe, it inspires me, gives me hope. Everything else going on in the world feels like noise, it isn't helpful or productive. This right here are people who are using all their passion brain power, resources, time and energy to find a way to save humanity if they can...dirt, a blade of "grass" and creating a library of information for the future. My gawd.
Archer, I am so thankful for your comment. As science filmmakers, we're always doubting ourselves: do people care, is this going to reach anyone, are we too deep in our own "nerdhole"? It's people like you who give me hope.
Thanks NOVA for giving me a lifetime now of interesting concepts. I've literally been in awe for decades now. Especially now in recombining traces of our ancestral lives. The deep past is where we need more answers.
Far flung places, weren't always that way. They were once popular places. The traces are there.
I love how Eske describes how to read fragments of DNA to "War and Peace"; and looking for fragments in all the books in the library. Truly helps me to get an idea of just how hard a task he set. Thank you. 🙂
Fantastic segment. Great science communicators! Even someone with little knowledge of DNA can understand. Thank you Eske and all the communicators.
You're welcome, Kirk. We tried very hard to strike a balance between spectacle and complexity. It helps to work with excellent science communicators like Eske!
The best part of this is all these scientists using this new info as a how to manual to plan for the future instead of just yelling about climate change like it's the apocalypse.
I love how they'll freely call DNA a code yet if you said well if it's a code there must have been a coder they'd say "oh no this 3.5 billion letter code just randomly assembled itself to work perfectly"
This is amazing! Thanks for doing what you do. Cheers and thanks!
You're welcome, Luke. A pleasure!
From Florida U.S.A. Amazing science, WONDERFUL, HOPEFUL documentary. Loved it
Thanks, Maureen!
Outstanding, Admire Your Tenacity Prof. and the Film Maker for the Education. Hope it turns out Well, for All.
what a presentation !!! i thought i could never warm up enough to the DNAs, thanks.
Whew! Glad we landed it!
This has to be one of the best if not the most brilliant documentaries I have EVER watched… THANK YOU!!!
Superlative program in every way. Not dumbed down. Not too technical. Marvelous supporting graphics, and several very engaging experts.
Wonderful to hear you think so. It was a very challenging balance to strike!
@@user-cs2go6em2j I cannot BEGIN to imagine just how challenging it was! 😂
i'm glad PBS exists
What a fabulous program! I would love to meet Eske. As a scientist, myself, I am energized and excited to know that there is still hope, and inspiration in wonderful people like these to keep the future safe.
This was so absolutely fascinating. I am just a grandma in Idaho but I feel like you broke it down in such a way that I could understand it. I loved the party streamer and confetti, and the Tolstoy and snippets of words analogies. Really brilliant.
Loved this program and finding out about this new DNA detection program. It can change the world from what we know now to be able to change the future for the better.
Wonderful. Thank you!
pretty cool docu. The graphics and animations really helped bring what was being said to life and helped with understanding
I'm glad you feel that way - there were 291 different animated sequences in the film. Making them was one of the most challenging aspects of this project, but we feel it payed off.
There are two apparent issues with the discoveries mentioned as they relate to the shot gun method. One, the clear presence of camel fossil in that region and no ancient DNA match in the dirt. Two, the apparent presence of mastodon DNA in the dirt, but no mastodon fossils yet discovered there.
Great job!! The plot and character development are superb and I am a tough critic. This is top notch work.
Thanks Chuck! I appreciate your compliment.
Great work, Eske. You turned out to be a pioneer after all.
Right?!? It was never a sure thing.
OmG! I felt like a 50yo kid loving every minute 😊Learning is So fun❤
Realize as well that when they say before the ice age they are talking about a million years ago - before the northern ice sheets existed - in the time before the Pleistocene. In public thinking, the ice age ended about 10-11,000 years ago. They do not know that we are still in 'the' ice age that began a million years or so ago, and that oscillated through extremes about every ~43+ thousand years for about a half a million years, then with a shift in orbital conditions shifted to a 105,000 year oscillation.
We are now ending that million year cycle of glaciation with our catastrophic release of warming gases from fossil fuels and synthetic gases. And going further back to the beginning of the northern ice sheets 5 million years ago. We are pushing so hard in fact that it is quite likely that we are transiting back to conditions like the earth experienced back in the Eocene over 35 million years ago, long before there was any ice anywhere in the whole world. To a time when the earth was 11 C warmer than the preindustrial period.
Absolutely correct. Thanks for pointing this out. My personal hope is that we can avert a return to Eocene levels of warmth, so that our future is more like a neo-Pliocene. That will be a significant shift in itself!
This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard and it was told magnificently. Thank God for free thinkers like Eske, Astrid, Mikkal and all the others who worked on this. Fantastic and thank you.
I will see them in three weeks, and I will convey your comment to them. They'll be tickled!
Great but also messed up about the students that got the shaft.
If you're looking for the oldest DNA I suggest you start with Keith Richards.
Funny
Unbelievable! Amazing! How exciting this is! Thank you for saving the future!
Haven't managed that yet! But want to!
I love this science. By the time they print educational history books, history changes. Thank you.
The content was OK but beware, the sound track is not only mind numbing but so freaking loud it will pulverize your ears. You have to turn it up enough to hear the words but by then the soundtrack is excruciatingly loud. For some reason this seems to be a trend. Directors, please drop the volume of the sound track so we can hear the ideas without muting and reading the captions.
Wow. Keep complaining about amazing free content.
I agree - the loudness of the soundtrack is very annoying, and I had just begun to watch it. I might go elsewhere.
Yes, a few more seconds, just to give this doc another shot - and the sound is - gratuitous- filling in stupid sounds unessesarily when good dialogue to support scientific ideas would be quite sufficient.
Over emphasized dramatic with an annoying soundtrack. We know that we can DNA from, it's either frozen or not fossilized. No need for stupid theatrics.
No issues for me
For the past 15 minutes of the show every time Eska celebrated his own genius I couldn’t help but think about the hundreds of grad students whose dreams of a career in science were crushed by his hubris. Until the shotgun dna technique created a workable tool, which others perfected, his grad students were used like cannon fodder that support his ego. Would have been nice if the producers had focused on more of them rather than just the one who left science altogether. what he has done for them with all his fame and success built on their crushed dreams? Suspect nothing. No one ever focuses on the true societal costs of technological advances. Maybe the benefits are worth the costs but you can’t know that if you don’t understand the actual costs
WOW!! Folks if you only watch from 48min to 53 min you'll learn the most important message of this research. Still, the rest of the program is fascinating and a great lesson in why intelligent questioning of the established doctrine in any field of knowledge is so important.
We wanted to leave a seed with our audience, because the use of aDNA to change present-day organisms is only now beginning. Next film!
What an enormous leap in knowledge! Achieving the process is just the start. I might imagine a day where the findings in the collected data reveal things so significant that this will, in comparison, seem like a only tiny step.
This channel is sexy, sharp and smart, and free on UA-cam. What’s not to love? ❤
Brilliant! Just brilliant! Please continue persisting in your quest to expand scientific knowledge! And thank you to NOVA/PBS for realizing the importance of this discovery, and making it available to everyone!
Thank you to all the scientists who refused to say No, and gave me hope for my Grandsons future. And that all happened tonight in one hour of watching this show on Nova.
Hope is wonderful!
This is why the STEM programs are so important in our schools. To be able to instill in our youth the sense of adventure and curiosity that can come from science whether its using the ancient past of paleontology to scientific break-throughs of astrophysics, to be able to be there when it happens....Life can be such a great adventure.
I have not seen such an inspirational video of what are past and future hold for us!
Thanks Oscar - that means a lot!
Just saw another documentary by the same professor about the ancient DNA of aboriginals and Europeans. That was also an amazing documentary. Science has come so far just within few decades. It's hard to even believe if you think about the knowledge available to everyone all over the world with just internet connection.
Spellbinding search by a man who loves our planet and is sharing it with us. I am filled with awe to get to see and hear this at 78 years old. Thank you for giving me hope for our world.
My heart explodes at stories of great discoveries and finds great optimism about the future of Mother Earth.
A very positive and interesting documentary. I find it constructive that scientists are working with their gained knowledge to prepare for the future of climate change.
She said Jurassic Park wont happen. A woman named Mary Sweitzer found elastic blood cells in almost all dinosaur bones ever found. So maybe dinosaurs aren't really as old as we thought.
Absolutely fascinating documentary, well written, riveting. Thanks for posting!
Edit: just to add how much I love and admire your imagination, enthusiasm, and your dedication to this project.
Thank you very much. This is such a challenging and fascinating subject, and it was a privilege to spend two years dedicated to crafting a story with it.
This kind of discoveries when you think of as a whole like 60 years is expected to belong to 1800s or early 1900s so seeing that kind of inspirational breakthroughs and inventions nowadays is just so romantic and fascinating. That gives me the chance to see the insight of old frontiers' minds and heart. Truly amazing. ❤❤❤
Did the scientists take continental drift , plate tectonics in their calculations on Greenland's position?
The time scales are diffferent. Greenland was in its current position during the Pliocene.
WOW! I'm not normally a science 'geek', but this story you have shown us of this 15-year-search absolutely held me spellbound every minute. What amazing work of the scientists and the film makers! Thank you.
PBS and Nova are amazing. 30 years ago when I was a little kid and up to present day I can't get enough. Support your PBS stations!
Question......What about continental shift? Would Greenland be in the same place 2 million years ago as now?
Gives me hope for my Grandchildren's future. Thank you for using language that us non-scientist can comprehend.
This is mind-blowing! To think that we now have DNA that is two million years old! Kudos to all the scientists and support people that made this discovery possible.
#Question when did the ice caps form ? I mean if you could get samples from underneath the north or south poles could it possibly be older than 3 million years ?or would it be the same age ?
Good question, Christopher. The Ice Age began about 2.5 million years ago. Before then, the average temperatures in the high latitudes were much, much warmer. So, we can't rely on freezing temperatures to have preserved DNA before that. However, Eske Willerslev discovered that DNA can bind to certain minerals (like clay), leading to excellent preservation. Now, he is searching for mineral deposits around the world where DNA even older than 2.3 million years could be preserved.
The Antarctic glaciation probably began 10s of millions of years ago. The Eastern Antarctic ice sheet is much older than 3 million years old. Whether it is useful for these purposes is a different question.
Thanks to the scientists for their awesome work! Spectacular presentation ❤
You're welcome, Maria!
That hour went so fast! Amazing work and information. I want a part two to this!!
Wonderful to hear, Jeff!
So exciting to see new discoveries through Nova! I was hooked the entire time😮
Amazing story. Dr Schwarzenegger got me a little scared at the end. This is how you get Jurassic Park.
Ha, I'll let him know.
Truly thought provoking. Thank you to everyone that produced this.
Thanks!
They should have had the Frontline narrator. THAT would have gotten everyone's attention.
Wish I'd have caught this live!! Sooo amazing!! Thank-you for never giving up! 🎯💯
I just watched this via PBS and wow! Incredible!
In Wisconsin we have museums made up of the fossils of mastodons and mammoths that were slaughtered by the indigenous people living in the area. They told us that if we went outside and dug out a handful of dirt we would find it filled with the DNA of plants and animals from back in that era. Then they pointed out that it would be mixed with all the fragments of DNA from the entire history of life. A needle in a haystack …a huge haystack.
Soil proteomics takes us back even further.
But tells us less...
so i want a spoiler already what’s the oldest dna
Interesting to see how one ambitious prof uses his PhD students and post docs as fodder. A side of academic research one not often gets to see but is very pervasive.
Most professors design projects to protect students from failure. There is no excuse for this sort of behavior in my opinion.
I am 57. I've been watching Nova and Louisiana Public Broadcasting since it aired.