Ancient

Deep Dive: 60,000-Year-Old Animal Proteins Mixed With Ocher Identified in South Africa

Ran in the Morning edition of LivePulse, Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Original reporting: Archaeology Magazine (AIA) · Jessica Esther Saraceni, 2026-10-26

FUKUOKA, JAPAN—According to a statement released by Kyushu University, an international team of scientists found a rare mix of animal collagen and ocher in samples taken from 60,000-year-old ocher-rich sediments at the Kilpdrift Complex archaeological site in South Africa’s De Hoop Nature Reserve. Using paleoproteomics, the researchers determined that the collagen protein comes from a species of antelope called the common eland (Taurotragus oryx).

This short summary only restates what the original publisher reported. Always check the source.