Originally Gustafson and his colleagues dated the mastodon hunting at Manis to more than 13,500 years ago. This was nearly 1,000 years before the Clovis culture, long considered to be the first culture in the New World. Their research was heavily criticized, due to limitations in the radiocarbon methodology used for dating the archaeological findings. However a recent publication supported their finding; an international group of researchers led by Michael Waters of Texas A&M University used a refined radiocarbon dating methodology and DNA analyses to demonstrate that the projectile found at the site came from a mastodon bone shaped as a spear point, handcrafted 13,800 years ago.

After careful DNA extractions of the hunted mastodon rib and the bone projectile found, the researchers successfully amplified a 69 base pair DNA fragment from the mitochondrial control region. Both samples produced identical sequences to mastodon DNA obtained previously, but distinct from other proboscideans (mammoth or elephant) by nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

These findings support the hypothesis that humans had permanent settlements in the Americas earlier than the Clovis culture (11,500 years ago). The bone projectile also shows that humans actively hunted megafauna (i.e., animals bigger than 50 kg) in this region. In addition, it suggests that the slow process of extinction of the biggest mammals inhabiting the Americas after the last glacial period (approximately 15,000 years ago), such as mammoths and mastodons, may have begun earlier than the time of the Clovis people.

Find out more about all these fascinating discoveries:

• Gustafson, C. E., et al. (1979). The Manis mastodon site: early man on the Olympic Peninsula. Canadian Journal of Archaeology, 3: 157-164.
• Radiocarbon dating methodology:
  • www.c14dating.com
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiocarbon_dating
• Waters, M. R., et al. (2011). Pre-Clovis mastodon hunting 13,800 years ago at the Manis Site, Washington. Science 334, 6054: 351-353.
• Waters, M. R. et al. (2011). The Buttermilk Creek complex and the Origins of the Clovis at the Debra L. Friedkin Site, Texas. Science, 331, 6024: 1599-1603.

Incidentally, water can taste funny due to substances and/or forms of life found in it.    Too bad Bo wasn’t a scientist.  Perhaps she could have extracted DNA from each glass of water and found out the kinds of organisms that have existed in this water.

Dutch scientists (Thomsen et. al., 2011) have been successful in identifying organisms that have been swimming through as little as a cup of freshwater. These scientists claim that organisms that swam through these waters within two weeks of collection left traces of DNA behind. This is quite a useful tool in determining the ecology of any given freshwater area. Scientists can use this information to identify rare or invasive species and monitor the activity of organisms found in a particular habitat within a period of time.

For more information, please go to:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=dna-in-a-cup-of-water-reveals-lake-11-12-19#comments

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05418.x/abstract

Your meat indeed could be a high risk for your health. In some cases this can be a public concern, because meat can be a source of pathogens that could cause a disease outbreak. In fact, it has been documented that close interaction among wildlife, domestic animals, and humans could provide the perfect environment for pathogen exchange.[1] Even more alarmingly, almost 75% of diseases that have recently emerged in humans have their origin in animals, a process technically known as zoonosis.[2] Hunting and butchering of wild animals has been increasingly recognized as a source of disease emergence. The most common zoonotic pathogens are RNA viruses, such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus,[3] and the H5N1 influenza virus, that causes flu.[4] Wildlife products that have not been inspected for sanitary conditions could thus be a serious threat to public health.

The United States is one of the world’s largest importers of wildlife and wildlife products.[5] Every year approximately 120 million live wild animals and 25,000 tons of wildlife products are imported into the US. New York City is the busiest port of entry into the US, and in combination with the Los Angeles and Miami international airports, accounts for more than 50% of all wildlife imports. One of the main concerns with importation of wild animals and wildlife products is the introduction of pathogens that are associated with them. Examples of diseases introduced to the US by wildlife include amphibian chytridiomycosis, exotic Newcastle’s disease, and monkey pox.

In a study published this month in PLoS ONE, a large collaborative team composed by researchers from EcoHealth Alliance, Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US Geological Survey, and the Wildlife Conservation Society tested samples from approximately 44 different meat products confiscated at five US international airports, the majority coming from JFK Airport.[6] Using DNA barcoding they identified that the bushmeat (term used to define product obtained from hunting and butchering of wild animals) came from chimpanzees, mangabeys, and green monkeys, among other animals. Both simian foamy viruses (SFV) and herpes viruses were detected in the wildlife products. Both type of viruses have been associated with infections and diseases in humans, such as malignant catarrhal fever or herpes B virus.[7] This is yet another study highlighting the manifold applications of DNA barcoding.

This PLoS ONE study⁶ was the first to conduct surveillance for zoonotic viruses in bushmeat products illegally imported into the US and establishes a precedent of the threat these products could represent for our public health.

Welcome to our new DNA barcoding blog.  It truly is an exciting time to be involved in this aspect of genomic science as DNA barcoding has been used to identify new species, help explain the biodiversity of our planet and even detect food fraud.  Just as a universal product code (UPC) identifies an item for sale in a store, a DNA barcode uniquely identifies each species of living thing.  The DNA barcoding technique includes extraction of DNA from an organism of interest, ampliflication of this DNA through PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), and sequencing of the DNA at specific locations in the genome.

In 2008, students from the Trinity School in New York City used DNA barcoding to find out that the raw tuna being sold at some sushi restaurants and grocery stores was not actually “tuna”, but instead “tilapia”, which is a cheaper fish.  This type of experiment not only demonstrates the real life applications of DNA barcoding, but just as importantly, shows the accessibility of this type of science to high school students.

This year, students from the New York City area will embark on the first ever Urban Barcode Project (UBP), a high school competition in which students will use DNA barcoding to explore the biodiversity in New York City. If you are a NYC teacher or a scientist interested in leading a team of students, please go to the UBP website for more information.