Members of the team were able to retrieve ancient DNA from a mummified baboon found at the Gabbanat el-Qurud site. By comparing it to the DNA of modern baboons, they hoped to understand where the ancient individuals could’ve come from. So, we have very good coverage of the data distribution throughout Africa [where baboons live today] for actual comparison,” Dr. Kopp told this writer. “When we learned about the existence of mummified baboons in Egypt, it occurred that they could be material evidence of trade with Punt.”Why is a mummified baboon puzzling? “Our work is one of the first instances where we successfully analysed ancient DNA from non-human primates,” said Dr. Kopp.

Source: The Hindu December 04, 2023 20:51 UTC