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Anthropology

What secrets might 2-million-year-old DNA hold?
Icy landscape in Greenland

Genetic material extracted from permafrost in northern Greenland revealed the presence of a rich, warm, and vibrant ancient ecosystem in what is today a cold and rather barren landscape, offering promise for future scientific discovery based on ancient environmental DNA.

What secrets might 2-million-year-old DNA hold?

Scientists from Denmark recently extracted and sequenced the oldest-ever DNA, from permafrost in Greenland, revealing a robust ecosystem of 135 species. Penn Today spoke with four faculty members about the potential power of ancient DNA.

Katherine Unger Baillie

New Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at the Penn Museum
half dozen people in a museum gallery

Featuring 400 objects that span a period of 4,000 years, the Penn Museum is opening a new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, the latest step in its building transformation.

New Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at the Penn Museum

Featuring 400 objects that span a period of 4,000 years, the Penn Museum is opening its new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, the latest step in a multi-year building transformation.