Ancient DNA has been extracted from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, probably unlocking new methods of finding out life from generations passed by.

The operation was carried out on constructing materials from the palace of King Ashurnasirpal II within the historic metropolis of Kalhu, which stood in what's now northern Iraq.

After sequencing the extracted DNA, consultants recognized 34 teams of vegetation - together with birch and cabbage.

It marks the primary time such a breakthrough has been made.

Dr Troels Arboll, of the University of Copenhagen, described the brick as a "biodiversity time capsule".

It's thought the genetic materials was preserved due to the very fact the brick was by no means burned, as an alternative left to dry naturally after being constructed from mud and different supplies like straw and animal poo.

The brick dates again to a time between when work on the palace, now generally known as the Northwest Palace at Nimrud, started in 879 BC and when it was accomplished in 869 BC.

It's at the moment housed on the National Museum of Denmark.

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While the brand new analysis, printed within the Nature Scientific Reports journal, solely particulars vegetation, researchers consider animal and bug DNA might be extracted utilizing the identical methods.

The plant materials was extracted by adapting strategies beforehand used on different porous supplies, akin to bone.

Clay supplies are almost at all times current at archaeological websites from totally different eras world wide, making them a probably wealthy supply of additional DNA research.

First writer Dr Sophie Lund Rasmussen, of the University of Oxford, stated the staff had been "absolutely thrilled" by the findings and the potential for future discoveries.

Content Source: information.sky.com