In a groundbreaking study, researchers have reconstructed ancient bacterial genomes from dental plaque of humans and Neanderthals, leading to the discovery of novel metabolites referred to as paleofurans. This research offers significant insights into the health and nutrition of early hominins by analyzing previously uncharacterized Pleistocene bacterial metabolites. The study involved the extraction of metagenomic data from calcified dental calculus, spanning the last 100,000 years, resulting in the reconstruction of 459 bacterial metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), some over 90,000 years old. This effort uncovered a new bacterial species within the Chlorobium genus and identified biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) that produced paleofurans, a type of 5-alkylfuran-3-carboxylic acid. The findings underscore the potential of paleobiotechnology in exploring ancient natural products, revealing evolutionary insights into their formation and possible future applications. The study emphasizes the merger of metagenomics, gene synthesis, and ancient DNA research as a pathway to uncovering ancient biochemical capabilities. This research broadens the understanding of microbial natural products, which have significant implications for industry and medicine, particularly in the development of new antimicrobial compounds.
