The Significance of a 10,000-Year-Old Piece of Chewing Gum

Chewing gum. Baseball players like it as an alternative to tobacco. Teens enjoy it for its pleasant flavor and texture. And archeologists are recovering ground-breaking DNA that reveals the dietary and cultural habits of ancient civilizations. Clearly, gum has many uses!

“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking, “I need way more details about that last example!”

It’s true – right around 2019, archeologist Natalija Kashuba recovered informative DNA samples from a piece of ancient chewing gum that was previously discovered in the 1990’s. Thanks to Kashuba’s efforts, researchers now have a clearer picture of what life was like for the people of Huseby-Kiev, Sweden over 10,000 years ago. If you’re still fascinated, keep reading, because there are more fun dental facts about this find!