Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS

Oldest-ever DNA shows mastodons roamed Greenland 2 million years ago

Genetic material collected from permafrost shows northern part of the island was once a lush forest, home to poplar trees and other surprising organisms.
  1. Ewen Callaway
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

The northeastern tip of Greenland is a lonely, barren place, home to the odd hare and musk ox, and few plants. Two-million-year-old DNA sequences — the oldest ever obtained — recovered from frozen soil suggest that the region was once home to mastodons and reindeer that roamed a forested ecosystem unlike any now found on Earth.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 612, 384 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04377-x

References

  1. Kjær, K. H. et al. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05453-y (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. van der Valk, T. et al. Nature 591, 265–269 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Head of Virology

    The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the S

    Addlestone, Surrey

    Animal and Plant Health Agency

  • Research Group Heads, BeiGene Institute

    A cross-disciplinary research organization where cutting-edge science and technology drive the discovery of impactful Insights

    Pudong New Area, Shanghai

    BeiGene Institute

  • Nanjing Forestry University is globally seeking Metasequoia Scholars and Metasequoia Talents

    Located in the eastern part of Nanjing, Nanjing Forestry University is a comprehensive university.

    Nanjing, Jiangsu (CN)

    Nanjing Forestry University (NFU)

  • ADME Lead, Bio-Island

    DMPK/PD representative in multi-functional expert teams for the evaluation of new chemical entities

    Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    BeiGene Ltd.

  • Sr Investigator & Chief

    The NIEHS seeks a Sr Investigator to serve as Chief of the Ctr for Climate Change & Health Research.

    Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

    National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NIH

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links