--- ---  # DNA From Extinct Humans Discovered in Cave Dirt ## Video: Scientists Can Reverse DNA Aging in Mice [Watch (HLS stream): Scientists Can Reverse DNA Aging in Mice](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SNuI8Z55.m3u8) (1:05)  _Published 2017-03-24. Researchers have found a way to protect a mouse's DNA from the damage that comes with aging, and they’re ready to test it in people_ by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Apr 28, 2017 5:21 PM UTC  Scientists have succeeded in extracting DNA of ancient humans from sediment in the Vindija Cave in Croatia. Scientists have succeeded in extracting DNA of ancient humans from sediment in the Vindija Cave in Croatia.Johannes Krause—Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology/AP by [Madeline Farber](https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/) ## Madeline Farber Apr 28, 2017 5:21 PM UTC A group of German [scientists](http://time.com/4750864/science-funding-diplomacy/) have found the DNA of extinct humans — without finding any skeletal remains. The researchers, who are currently excavating even dig sites in Belgium, Croatia, France, [Russia](http://time.com/4757369/russian-navy-dmitry-medvedev-turkey/) and Spain, have found genetic remains of ancient humans like the Neanderthals and their cousins, the Denisovans, in sediment samples, the New York [_Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/27/science/ancient-human-dna-cave-dirt.html) reports. Until now, the only way researchers could study the genes of ancient humans was to recover DNA from fossils, according to the _Times._ “This work represents an enormous scientific breakthrough,” Antonio Rosas, a scientist at Spain’s Natural Science Museum in Madrid, said, according to the [BBC](http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39747326). “We can now tell which species of hominid occupied a cave and on which particular stratigraphic level, even when no bone or skeletal remains are present.” The findings were made possible thanks to recent technological advancements in recent years, like rapid sequencing of DNA, according to the _Times._ Extinct Human DNA Discovered in Cave Dirt, Scientists Say ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/"},"headline":"DNA From Extinct Humans Discovered in Cave Dirt","datePublished":"2017-04-28T17:21:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:21.524Z","description":"The findings are being considered a scientific breakthrough.","url":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/","keywords":["DNA","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3f22fb4cc2a006bb/6988cb24196cf4962703fe53/extinct-human-dna-found-caves.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Madeline Farber","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/madeline-farber/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3f22fb4cc2a006bb/6988cb24196cf4962703fe53/extinct-human-dna-found-caves.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"extinct-human-dna-found-caves","caption":"extinct-human-dna-found-caves","creditText":"Johannes Krause—Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dna/","name":"DNA"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/","name":"DNA From Extinct Humans Discovered in Cave Dirt"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Scientists Can Reverse DNA Aging in Mice","description":"Researchers have found a way to protect a mouse's DNA from the damage that comes with aging, and they’re ready to test it in people","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/SNuI8Z55/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-03-24T16:08:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SNuI8Z55.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/","duration":"PT1M5S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4759439/extinct-human-dna-cave-dirt/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```