{"id":734693,"date":"2026-06-30T11:14:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/734693\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T11:14:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T11:14:19","slug":"scientists-unlock-hidden-dna-from-1300-year-old-manuscripts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/734693\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Unlock Hidden DNA From 1,300-Year-Old Manuscripts"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Collecting<\/a>Researchers have demonstrated a nondestructive way to collect cellular material from historical parchment manuscripts, allowing them to conduct genetic analyses that offer new insights into everything from trade routes to agricultural practices dating back 1,300 years \u2013 without harming the valuable manuscripts. Credit: Nash Dunn, NC State University<\/p>\n

Historic parchments may hold genetic clues that can be studied without harming the manuscripts.<\/p>\n

Scientists have shown that it is possible to collect cellular material from historic parchment manuscripts without damaging them. The method allows genetic analysis of documents as old as 1,300 years, potentially revealing new details about trade routes, farming practices, and the animals used to make the manuscripts.<\/p>\n

Parchment is produced from animal skins and was used for thousands of years across Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. It appears in many types of records, including legal texts and maps.<\/p>\n

Parchment preserves hidden DNA<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they are made from animal skins, it is often possible to extract genetic information from parchments,\u201d says Tim Stinson, corresponding author of a paper on this research and an associate professor of English at North Carolina State University. \u201cThat genetic information, in turn, offers us a window into the past, answering questions about things such as when and where a manuscript was made.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/a>Photo of Tim Stinson using the new, nondestructive sampling technique to conduct genetic analyses of parchment manuscripts. Credit: Nash Dunn, NC State University<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause parchments have been in use for so long, and often record detailed historical information, the genetic information they contain can also shed light on the evolution of domesticated farm species, how breeds developed over time, livestock diseases and so on,\u201d says Matthew Breen, coauthor of the paper and the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics in NC State\u2019s College of Veterinary Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis paper is particularly important because one of the biggest challenges for this emerging field of genetic analysis has been gaining access to historic parchments, due to concerns that collecting samples would damage these culturally significant artifacts,\u201d says Stinson. \u201cOur work shows that we can collect samples without harming the parchments, which is a big step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brushes protect fragile manuscripts<\/p>\n

For the study, the scientists used the nondestructive approach to gather cellular samples from 91 manuscripts in Duke University\u2019s Rubenstein Library. The manuscripts came from places ranging from England to Ethiopia and were written between the late eighth century and the early 20th century.<\/p>\n

The technique involves gently rubbing the parchment with a cytology brush, the same type of brush used for Pap smears.<\/p>\n

\u201cCytology brushes can be used when dry and do an excellent job of harvesting cellular material without damaging the integrity of the artifact being sampled,\u201d says Breen.<\/p>\n

\"Nondestructive<\/a>A new nondestructive DNA sampling method lets scientists analyze ancient parchment manuscripts. Credit: Nash Dunn, NC State UniversityGenetics opens a new archive<\/p>\n

After collecting the material from the brushes, the scientists extract the cells and use forensic-level, next-generation sequencing tools to recover and amplify genetic sequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re essentially using state-of-the-art technologies and genetic analytical techniques to get new, empirical information regarding historical, cultural, and agricultural practices,\u201d says Stinson.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve shown that we\u2019re able to extract a tremendous amount of new information from these parchments without harming them,\u201d says Breen. \u201cThis will hopefully engender trust with those organizations that are responsible for preserving these historic documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited about the potential of this field and are seeking funding that will allow us to explore that potential,\u201d says Stinson. \u201cWe\u2019ve demonstrated that this is a vast, untapped source of historical information, and we want to continue this pioneering work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a remarkable opportunity here,\u201d says Breen. \u201cIt is essentially a whole new field, bringing together a truly interdisciplinary range of expertise spanning fields from genetics to medieval history.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cAdventures in the Animal Archive: New Techniques for the Genetic Analysis of Parchment Manuscripts\u201d by Timothy L. Stinson, Melissa K. R. Scheible, Rachael Thomas, Nicholas E. Wagner, Matthew Breen, Benjamin J. Callahan and Kelly Meiklejohn, 14 May 2026, Manuscript Studies: A Journal of the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies.
DOI: 10.1353\/mns.2026.a990234.<\/a><\/p>\n

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