MIXED — Scientists have successfully sequenced the oldest DNA ever found, dating back approximately 2.4 million years from sediment in northern Greenland. Is a Verified Fact
Verified on April 3, 2026
A 2022 study in the journal Nature confirmed the sequencing of 2.4 million-year-old environmental DNA from Greenland, which remains the oldest ever found. In December 2022, a study published in the journal Nature revealed the sequencing of environmental DNA (eDNA) from the Kap København Formation in Greenland, dated to approximately 2.4 million years ago.
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Scientists have successfully sequenced the oldest DNA ever found, dating back approximately 2.4 million years from sediment in northern Greenland.
Analysis summary
A 2022 study in the journal Nature confirmed the sequencing of 2.4 million-year-old environmental DNA from Greenland, which remains the oldest ever found.
Evidence profile
Key findings
- In December 2022, a study published in the journal Nature revealed the sequencing of environmental DNA (eDNA) from the Kap København Formation in Greenland, dated to approximately 2.4 million years ago.
- The discovery nearly doubled the previous record for the oldest sequenced DNA, which was held by a 1.2 million-year-old Siberian mammoth tooth.
- The genetic fragments, preserved by binding to clay and quartz in permafrost, identified over 135 species including mastodons, reindeer, and temperate trees like poplars in a region that is now a polar desert.
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