For the first time, ancient human DNA turns up on a Portugal cave wall

View comments Photo Credit: iStock Brooklyn Smith Fri, July 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC 3 min read View comments Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Key takeaways Powered by Yahoo Scout. Yahoo is using AI to generate key points from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Researchers have successfully recovered ancient human DNA directly from cave walls, with one key sample coming from a small red painted mark in Portugal. The finding suggests that prehistoric caves may preserve genetic traces left by people who interacted with the rock art, providing scientists with a new way to study ancient rock art sites. This breakthrough in recovering ancient human DNA from cave walls could help archaeologists learn more about the individuals who created the art, potentially answering questions about the origins of certain cave markings. See more Researchers have, for the first time, recovered ancient human DNA directly from cave walls, with one key sample coming from a small red painted mark in Portugal.