Africa: Discovery of Ancient DNA From Antelope Fossils in South Africa Opens a New Window On the Past

What the report says

Researchers writing in The Conversation Africa, republished by AllAfrica, say they have recovered ancient DNA from antelope and other mammal fossils from cave sites in South Africa, offering new evidence about African wildlife that lived tens of thousands of years ago. The work was based on 144 fossils from six archaeological caves in the Eastern and Western Cape provinces, with material dated from about 1,500 to 110,000 years old. The study focused on species including Cape grysbok, grey rhebok, reedbuck, eland, African buffalo and the extinct giant long-horned buffalo.

According to the authors, DNA preservation in Africa has been difficult to study because warmer climates usually damage genetic material more quickly than in colder regions. In their sample, they found that ancient DNA could survive for up to 50,000 years, though most usable material came from fossils younger than 11,700 years, near the end of the last ice age. The oldest DNA in the set came from a mountain reedbuck fossil at Boomplaas Cave in the Western Cape, which the authors say may be among the oldest animal DNA yet recovered on the continent, pending further confirmation.

The researchers say the findings show that African mammal fossils can still yield genetic information long after burial, helping scientists study population change, species relationships and extinction. They also report that collagen preservation may serve as a practical guide for identifying fossils most likely to preserve DNA. Beyond the paleontology result, the study may help build baseline data for biodiversity before modern human-driven declines, which the authors say could support conservation research in Africa.