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COPENHAGEN, Jan 6 (Reuters) – Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Britain, and Denmark said in a joint statement on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, editing by Terje Solsvik)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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WASHINGTON — Venezuela risks “a second strike” if its interim government doesn’t acquiesce to U.S. demands. Cuba is “ready to fall,” and Colombia is “very sick, too.”
Iran may get “hit very hard” if its government cracks down on protesters. And Denmark risks U.S. intervention, as well, because “we need Greenland,” President Trump said.
In just 37 minutes while speaking with reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, Trump threatened to attack five countries, both allies and adversaries, with the might of the U.S. military — an extraordinary turn for a president who built his political career rejecting traditional conservative views on the exercise of American power and vowing to put America first.
The president’s threats come as a third of the U.S. naval fleet remains stationed in the Caribbean, after Trump launched a daring attack on Venezuela that seized its president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife over the weekend.
The goal, U.S. officials said, was to show the Venezuelan government and the wider world what the American military is capable of — and to compel partners and foes alike to adhere to Trump’s demands through intimidation, rather than commit the U.S. military to more complex, conventional, long-term engagements.
It is the deployment of overwhelming and spectacular force in surgical military operations — Maduro’s capture, last year’s strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, assassinations of Islamic State leadership and Iran’s top general in Iraq — that demonstrate Trump as a brazen leader willing to risk war, thereby effectively avoiding it, one Trump administration official said, explaining the president’s strategic thinking.
Yet experts and former Trump aides warn the president’s approach risks miscalculation, alienating vital allies and emboldening U.S. competitors.
At a Security Council meeting Monday at the United Nations in New York — called by Colombia, a long-standing and major non-North Atlantic Treaty Oranization ally to the United States — Trump’s moves were widely condemned. “Violations of the U.N. Charter,” a French diplomat told the council, “chips away at the very foundation of international order.”
Even the envoy from Russia, which has cultivated historically strong ties with the Trump administration, said the White House operation was an act of “banditry,” marking “a return to the era of illegality and American dominance through force, chaos and lawlessness.”
Trump’s threats to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark with vast natural resources, drew particular concern across Europe on Monday, with leaders across the continent warning the United States against an attack that would violate the sovereignty of a NATO ally and European Union member state.
“That’s enough now,” Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said after Trump told reporters that his attention would turn to the world’s largest island in a matter of weeks.
“If the United States decides to militarily attack another NATO country, then everything would stop,” Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, told local press. “That includes NATO, and therefore, post-World War II security.”
Trump also threatened to strike Iran, where anti-government protests have spread throughout the country in recent days. Trump had previously said the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” if Iranian security forces begin firing on protesters, “which is their custom.”
“The United States of America will come to their rescue,” Trump wrote on social media on Jan. 2, hours before launching the Venezuela mission. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
In Colombia, there was widespread outrage after Trump threatened military action against leftist President Gustavo Petro, whom Trump accused, without evidence, of running “cocaine mills and cocaine factories.”
Petro is a frequent critic of the American president and has slammed as illegal a series of lethal U.S. airstrikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
“Stop slandering me,” Petro wrote on X, warning that any U.S. attempts against his presidency “will unleash the people’s fury.”
Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, said he would go to war to defend Colombia.
“I swore not to touch a weapon again,” he said. “But for the homeland, I will take up arms.”
Trump’s threats have strained relations with Colombia, a devoted U.S. ally. For decades, the countries have shared military intelligence, a robust trade relationship and a multibillion-dollar fight against drug trafficking.
Even some of Petro’s domestic critics have comes to his defense. Presidential candidate Juan Manuel Galán, who opposes Petro’s rule, said Colombia’s sovereignty “must be defended.”
“Colombia is not Venezuela,” Galán wrote on X. “It is not a failed state, and we will not allow it to be treated as such. Here we have institutions, democracy and sovereignty that must be defended.”
The president of Mexico, another longtime U.S. ally and its largest trading partner, has also spoken out forcefully against the American operation in Caracas, and said the Trump administration’s aggressive foreign policy in Latin America threatens the stability of the region.
“We categorically reject intervention in the internal affairs of other countries,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said in her daily news conference Monday. “The history of Latin America is clear and compelling: Intervention has never brought democracy, has never generated well-being or lasting stability.”
She addressed Trump’s comments over the weekend that drugs were “pouring” through Mexico, and that the United States was “going to have to do something.”
Trump has been threatening action against cartels for months, with some members of his administration suggesting that the United States may soon carry out drone strikes on drug laboratories and other targets inside Mexican territory. Sheinbaum has repeatedly said such strikes would be a clear violation of Mexican sovereignty.
“Sovereignty and the self-determination of peoples are non-negotiable,” she said. “They are fundamental principles of international law and must always be respected without exception.”
Cuba also rejected Trump’s threat of a military intervention there, after Trump’s secretary of State, Marco Rubio, himself the descendant of Cuban immigrants, suggested that Havana may be next in Washington’s crosshairs.
“We call on the international community to stop this dangerous, aggressive escalation and to preserve peace,” Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted on social media.
The U.S. attacks on Venezuela, and Trump’s threats of additional military ventures, have caused deep unease in a relatively peaceful region that has seen fewer interstate wars in recent decades than Europe, Asia or Africa.
It also caused unease among some Trump supporters, who remembered his pledge to get the United States out of “endless” military conflicts for good.
“I was the first president in modern times,” Trump said, accepting the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, “to start no new wars.”
Wilner reported from Washington and Linthicum from Mexico City.
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LONDON, Jan 5 (Reuters) – German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that Greenland belonged to Denmark and that the NATO alliance could discuss strengthening its protection if necessary.
Wadephul was speaking after U.S. President Donald Trump made renewed threats to take over Greenland, a prospect that alarmed NATO allies and has taken on a new urgency after Trump followed through on threats to topple Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to take over Greenland, an ambition first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency.
On Sunday, he told The Atlantic magazine in an interview: “We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defence.”
Speaking to reporters in Lithuania, Wadephul said Germany had questions about Maduro’s removal and stressed the Venezuelan people should determine their country’s future in free and fair elections, after Trump said the U.S. would run the country.
On Greenland, Wadephul stressed it was part of Denmark.
“And since Denmark is a member of NATO, Greenland will, in principle, also be subject to NATO defence,” he said.
“And if there are further requirements to strengthen defence efforts concerning Greenland, then we will have to discuss this within the framework of the alliance.”
He did not elaborate on the nature of those discussions.
(Reporting by Matthias Williams, editing by Miranda Murray)
Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.
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President Donald Trump has said the U.S. will revisit its stance on Greenland in the coming weeks.
Asked if he expected to take action on the territory, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday: “Let’s talk about Venezuela, Russia, Ukraine. We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”
He added: “We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic.”
The Republican has long coveted the Arctic island of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory and part of Denmark—a NATO country, like the U.S. The vast, sparsely populated territory is rich in minerals and hosts the U.S. space base of Pituffik, which is key for detecting long-range missiles bound for the U.S. mainland.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have repeatedly hit back at U.S. overtures toward the territory.
Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Sunday it “makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.”
“The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” Frederiksen said. “I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
Trump said in his remarks to reporters the U.S. needs Greenland “from the standpoint of national security and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”
This is a developing story. Updates to follow.
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The prime minister of Denmark on Sunday called on President Trump to “stop the threats” about taking over Greenland after the U.S. president reiterated his wish to take over the Danish territory.
Since returning to White House a year ago, Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed that making Greenland part of the United States would serve U.S. national security interests, given its strategic location in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in key critical minerals used in high-tech sectors.
In an interview with The Atlantic magazine published Sunday, Mr. Trump reiterated his wish to take over Greenland.
“We do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” he told the magazine.
His comments came a day after the U.S. military captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife during an overnight raid in Caracas. This raised concern in Denmark that the same could happen in Greenland, a Danish territory.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement on Sunday that it makes “absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland.”
“The U.S. has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom,” she said, adding: “I would therefore strongly urge the U.S. stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people, who have very clearly said that they are not for sale.”
In December, Mr. Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, drawing renewed criticism from Denmark and Greenland.
And on Saturday, the wife of one of Mr. Trump’s most influential aides fanned the criticism when she posted a social media picture of Greenland painted in the colors of the United States flag.
Katie Miller — wife of Mr. Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller — put the contentiously altered image of the Danish autonomous territory on her X feed late Saturday, hours after the U.S. military operation against Venezuela.
Her post had a single word above it: “SOON.”
In response, Denmark’s ambassador to the U.S., Jesper Moeller Soerensen, reacted on Sunday with his own post saying “we expect full respect for the territorial integrity” of Denmark, above a link to Katie Miller’s image.
“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen said of Denmark’s relationship with the U.S. He added that both countries “work together to ensure security in the Arctic” and his “significantly boosted its Arctic security efforts” in 2025, an example of how it takes their “joint security seriously.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also responded on social media, calling Miller’s post “disrespectful” but adding that it “doesn’t change anything” about his country’s independence.
“Our country is not for sale and our future is not determined by social media posts,” Nielsen said in a statement translated from Greenlandic. “We are a democratic society with autonomy, free elections and strong institutions. Our position is clearly rooted in international law and in internationally recognized agreements. It stands.”
Stephen Miller is widely seen as the architect of much of Mr. Trump’s policies, guiding the president on his hardline immigration policies and domestic agenda. Katie Miller was deputy press secretary under Mr. Trump at the Department of Homeland Security during his first term.
She later worked as communications director for then-Vice President Mike Pence and also acted as his press secretary.
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Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark said Monday it would summon the U.S. ambassador after President Trump appointed a special envoy to Greenland, the Danish autonomous territory he has often expressed interest in obtaining.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Mr. Trump has said the U.S. needs the resource-rich island for security reasons and has refused to rule out the use of force to secure it.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump appointed Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland.
Alex Brandon/AP
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Monday he was “deeply angered” by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark’s sovereignty.
In a post on social media platform Sunday night, Mr. Trump said Landry “understands how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World.”
Landry responded directly to Mr. Trump on social media, saying, “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the U.S.”
The Danish foreign minister told television TV2 the Landry appointment and statements by Mr. Trump and Landry were “totally unacceptable” and said his ministry would call in the U.S. ambassador in coming days “to get an explanation.”
“As long as we have a kingdom in Denmark that consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland, we cannot accept that there are those who undermine our sovereignty,” he said.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen meanwhile said the appointment “doesn’t change anything for us here at home.”
“We will determine our future ourselves. Greenland is our country,” he wrote on social media, adding: “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders, and territorial integrity must be respected.”
The vast majority of Greenland’s 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark but don’t wish to become part of the U.S, according to a January opinion poll.
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that the huge Arctic island isn’t for sale and that it will decide its future itself.
“The appointment confirms the continued American interest in Greenland,” Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement emailed to AFP.
“However, we insist that everyone — including the U.S. — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Greenland is strategically located between North America and Europe at a time of rising U.S., Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic, where sea lanes have opened up because of climate change.
Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
During a visit by Vice President JD Vance to Greenland in March, Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House, “We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security.”
“We have to have Greenland,” he said. “It’s not a question of, ‘Do you think we can do without it?’ We can’t.”
In August, Denmark summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires after reports of attempted interference in Greenland.
At least three U.S. officials close to Mr. Trump were observed in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk trying to identify people for and against a rapprochement with the United States.
The U.S. opened a consulate in Greenland in June 2020.
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By Jarrett Renshaw and Ernest Scheyder
(Reuters) -Critical mineral companies are boosting lobbying efforts in Washington, hoping to share in the ambitious investments that U.S. President Donald Trump has pledged to firms deemed essential to national security, a Reuters review of public records and interviews with executives and officials showed.
At least a dozen companies — including lithium, copper, rare earths, and geothermal firms — have signed with major Washington lobbying firms since January, the review found.
There has been a sharp uptick in influence campaigns aimed at securing federal investment, permitting support and long-term procurement guarantees.
The White House has pivoted from a historical focus on industry subsidies to one focused on partial ownership of MP Materials, Lithium Americas and other companies to counter China’s dominance in critical minerals.
“Once the U.S. government started giving money away earlier this year, every minerals boardroom in America started to think, ‘What about us?’” said Ken Hoffman, a commodity strategist with mining investment bank Red Cloud Securities and a former mining industry consultant.
Even with recent moves by JPMorgan to invest up to $10 billion in critical minerals and other industries, Hoffman said government funding is crucial as many private investors remain anxious about funding junior miners and novel processing technologies.
The shift has sent stock prices soaring across the sector as companies scramble to align themselves with Washington’s industrial strategy. The Sprott Lithium Miners ETF, for instance, has jumped more than 35% in the past month.
The roster of lobbying firms includes Ballard Partners, run by Trump ally and top Republican fundraiser Brian Ballard, who helped raise more than $50 million for Trump’s 2024 campaign.
Another prominent firm, The Bernhardt Group, is tied to David Bernhardt, who in Trump’s first term ran the U.S. Interior Department, a key player in permitting critical mineral projects.
Bernhardt and Ballard did not respond to requests for comment.
Understanding the complex sector can require detailed knowledge of scientific arcana, geopolitics, trade and procurement, so lobbyists often see themselves as educators for the 535 members of Congress and hundreds of executive branch offices.
“You need to have someone on the ground in Washington educating lawmakers on what you’re doing and the science behind it,” said Jim Sims of NioCorp. The company is developing a Nebraska scandium mine that has received $10 million from the Pentagon and is under consideration for an $800 million loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
In April, NioCorp tapped the lobbying firm Navigators Global, whose roster includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former legislative staffer Cesar Conda.
Some companies that recently hired lobbyists are in talks with the administration or have landed deals.
Lithium Americas hired lobbying firm Guidepost Strategies in July and reached a deal this month to give Washington a 5% equity stake in the company and its Thacker Pass project with General Motors in exchange for access to a $2.26 billion loan.
The company has paid Guidepost at least $200,000 so far this year, filings show. Tim Crowley, vice president of government affairs for Lithium Americas, said that “for years, we’ve worked to share the positive impact of Thacker Pass with an array of critical stakeholders, including Congress, the White House and relevant federal agencies.”
Critical Metals Corp, which hired Cornerstone Government Affairs in February, has held talks with the White House about a possible U.S. equity investment in its rare earths deposit in Greenland, Reuters reported earlier this month. The company has paid Cornerstone $210,000 so far this year.
Critical Metals Chairman Tony Sage said the West’s limited access to rare earths “makes it even more important to ensure our deposit and vision are on the radar of key decision makers in the United States.”
United States Antimony has paid $130,000 to Cassidy & Associates since hiring them last November. Last month, the company won a $245 million contract with the Pentagon’s Defense Logistics Agency. U.S. Antimony CEO Gary Evans said the lobbying firm has helped with outreach to state officials in Alaska and Montana, where the company aims to mine and process antimony.
“The whole intent and purpose of this lobbying is to help legislators understand what we’re doing,” Evans said. “Some didn’t even know we existed.”
BHP Minerals Service, a subsidiary of mining giant BHP, registered with Bernhardt’s firm last month to lobby on critical minerals-related trade issues. BHP declined to comment.
Trigg Minerals, which is developing a Tennessee tungsten mine, hired Bernhardt’s firm in July to help secure U.S. government support. Trigg did not respond to a request for comment.
Ballard’s firm has signed at least six critical mineral companies, including Korea Zinc, US Strategic Metals, Techmet and Falcon Copper, records show.
Korea Zinc, which has agreed to help The Metals Company process polymetallic nodules from the seafloor, has lobbied the administration. Trump has been advancing efforts to open seabeds for minerals production.
Korea Zinc, US Strategic Minerals and Falcon were not immediately available to comment. TechMet declined to comment.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Ernest Scheyder, Editing by Veronica Brown and David Gregorio)
Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.
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Copenhagen, Denmark — Denmark’s foreign minister had the top U.S. diplomat in the country summoned for talks after the main national public broadcaster reported Wednesday that at least three people with connections to President Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in Greenland.
Greenland, a huge semi-autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic, is coveted by Mr. Trump, who has called repeatedly for the vast land mass to be annexed by the United States. Denmark and Greenland insist that the mineral-rich island is not for sale, while Mr. Trump has not ruled out taking it by military force even though Denmark is a NATO ally.
Greenland is located to the northeast of Canada. The Danish territory has its own elected government. Its location between the U.S., Russia and Europe makes it strategic for both economic and defense purposes, especially as melting sea ice has opened up new shipping routes through the Arctic.
Getty/iStockphoto
It is also the location of the northernmost U.S. military base.
On Wednesday, Danish public broadcaster DR reported that government and security sources, which it didn’t name, as well as unidentified sources in Greenland and the U.S., believe that at least three Americans with connections to Mr. Trump have been carrying out covert influence operations in the territory.
It said its story was based on information from a total of eight sources, who believe the goal is to weaken relations with Denmark from within Greenlandic society.
DR said it had been unable to clarify whether the Americans were working at their own initiative or on orders from someone else.
The network said it sources believed one of the Americans has been compiling lists of Greenlandic citizens for and against Mr. Trump’s overtures, in a bid to build a list of citizens on the island who could potentially be recruited for a Greenlandic secession movement.
The other Americans, according to DR, “have tried to cultivate contacts with politicians, businesspeople and citizens, and the sources’ concern is that these contacts could secretly be used to support Donald Trump’s desire to take over Greenland.”
Responding to DR’s reporting, Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement sent to French news agency AFP that the ministry was “aware that foreign actors continue to show an interest in Greenland and its position in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is therefore not surprising if we experience outside attempts to influence the future of the Kingdom in the time ahead.”
“Any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of the kingdom will of course be unacceptable,” he said, confirming that he had “asked the ministry of foreign affairs to summon the U.S. charge d’affaires for a meeting at the ministry.”
Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty 
Charge d’affaires Mark Stroh is currently the most senior U.S. diplomat in Greenland.
CBS News has sought comment from the U.S. embassy in Denmark about the DR report.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed the U.S. needs Greenland for national security purposes.
“I’m talking about protecting the free world,” he said in early January. “You look at — you don’t even need binoculars — you look outside. You have China ships all over the place. You have Russian ships all over the place. We’re not letting that happen. We’re not letting it happen.”
In May, Denmark’s leader publicly condemned reports that the U.S. was gathering intelligence in Greenland.
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NEW YORK — Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. Today, it’s a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of animals, even the now extinct mastodon.
“The study opens the door into a past that has basically been lost,” said lead author Kurt Kjær, a geologist and glacier expert at the University of Copenhagen.
With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. This is the genetic material that organisms shed into their surroundings — for example, through hair, waste, spit or decomposing carcasses.
Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments.
But with the latest technology, researchers were able to get genetic information out of the small, damaged bits of DNA, explained senior author Eske Willerslev, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge. In their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they compared the DNA to that of different species, looking for matches.
The samples came from a sediment deposit called the Kap København formation in Peary Land. Today, the area is a polar desert, Kjær said.
But millions of years ago, this region was undergoing a period of intense climate change that sent temperatures up, Willerslev said. Sediment likely built up for tens of thousands of years at the site before the climate cooled and cemented the finds into permafrost.
The cold environment would help preserve the delicate bits of DNA — until scientists came along and drilled the samples out, beginning in 2006.
During the region’s warm period, when average temperatures were 20 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 19 degrees Celsius) higher than today, the area was filled with an unusual array of plant and animal life, the researchers reported. The DNA fragments suggest a mix of Arctic plants, like birch trees and willow shrubs, with ones that usually prefer warmer climates, like firs and cedars.
The DNA also showed traces of animals including geese, hares, reindeer and lemmings. Previously, a dung beetle and some hare remains had been the only signs of animal life at the site, Willerslev said.
One big surprise was finding DNA from the mastodon, an extinct species that looks like a mix between an elephant and a mammoth, Kjær said.
Many mastodon fossils have previously been found from temperate forests in North America. That’s an ocean away from Greenland, and much farther south, Willerslev said.
“I wouldn’t have, in a million years, expected to find mastodons in northern Greenland,” said Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University who was not involved in the study.
Because the sediment built up in the mouth of a fjord, researchers were also able to get clues about marine life from this time period. The DNA suggests horseshoe crabs and green algae lived in the area — meaning the nearby waters were likely much warmer back then, Kjær said.
By pulling dozens of species out of just a few sediment samples, the study highlights some of eDNA’s advantages, said Benjamin Vernot, an ancient DNA researcher at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology who was not involved in the study.
“You really get a broader picture of the ecosystem at a particular time,” Vernot said. “You don’t have to go and find this piece of wood to study this plant, and this bone to study this mammoth.”
Based on the data available, it’s hard to say for sure whether these species truly lived side by side, or if the DNA was mixed together from different parts of the landscape, said Laura Epp, an eDNA expert at Germany’s University of Konstanz who was not involved in the study.
But Epp said this kind of DNA research is valuable to show “hidden diversity” in ancient landscapes.
Willerslev believes that because these plants and animals survived during a time of dramatic climate change, their DNA could offer a “genetic roadmap” to help us adapt to current warming.
Stockholm University’s Dalen expects ancient DNA research to keep pushing deeper into the past. He worked on the study that previously held the “oldest DNA” record, from a mammoth tooth around a million years old.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you can go at least one or perhaps a few million years further back, assuming you can find the right samples,” Dalen said.
———
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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NEW YORK — Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. Today, it’s a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of animals, even the now extinct mastodon.
“The study opens the door into a past that has basically been lost,” said lead author Kurt Kjær, a geologist and glacier expert at the University of Copenhagen.
With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. This is the genetic material that organisms shed into their surroundings — for example, through hair, waste, spit or decomposing carcasses.
Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments.
But with the latest technology, researchers were able to get genetic information out of the small, damaged bits of DNA, explained senior author Eske Willerslev, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge. In their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they compared the DNA to that of different species, looking for matches.
The samples came from a sediment deposit called the Kap København formation in Peary Land. Today, the area is a polar desert, Kjær said.
But millions of years ago, this region was undergoing a period of intense climate change that sent temperatures up, Willerslev said. Sediment likely built up for tens of thousands of years at the site before the climate cooled and cemented the finds into permafrost.
The cold environment would help preserve the delicate bits of DNA — until scientists came along and drilled the samples out, beginning in 2006.
During the region’s warm period, when average temperatures were 20 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 19 degrees Celsius) higher than today, the area was filled with an unusual array of plant and animal life, the researchers reported. The DNA fragments suggest a mix of Arctic plants, like birch trees and willow shrubs, with ones that usually prefer warmer climates, like firs and cedars.
The DNA also showed traces of animals including geese, hares, reindeer and lemmings. Previously, a dung beetle and some hare remains had been the only signs of animal life at the site, Willerslev said.
One big surprise was finding DNA from the mastodon, an extinct species that looks like a mix between an elephant and a mammoth, Kjær said.
Many mastodon fossils have previously been found from temperate forests in North America. That’s an ocean away from Greenland, and much farther south, Willerslev said.
“I wouldn’t have, in a million years, expected to find mastodons in northern Greenland,” said Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University who was not involved in the study.
Because the sediment built up in the mouth of a fjord, researchers were also able to get clues about marine life from this time period. The DNA suggests horseshoe crabs and green algae lived in the area — meaning the nearby waters were likely much warmer back then, Kjær said.
By pulling dozens of species out of just a few sediment samples, the study highlights some of eDNA’s advantages, said Benjamin Vernot, an ancient DNA researcher at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology who was not involved in the study.
“You really get a broader picture of the ecosystem at a particular time,” Vernot said. “You don’t have to go and find this piece of wood to study this plant, and this bone to study this mammoth.”
Based on the data available, it’s hard to say for sure whether these species truly lived side by side, or if the DNA was mixed together from different parts of the landscape, said Laura Epp, an eDNA expert at Germany’s University of Konstanz who was not involved in the study.
But Epp said this kind of DNA research is valuable to show “hidden diversity” in ancient landscapes.
Willerslev believes that because these plants and animals survived during a time of dramatic climate change, their DNA could offer a “genetic roadmap” to help us adapt to current warming.
Stockholm University’s Dalen expects ancient DNA research to keep pushing deeper into the past. He worked on the study that previously held the “oldest DNA” record, from a mammoth tooth around a million years old.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you can go at least one or perhaps a few million years further back, assuming you can find the right samples,” Dalen said.
———
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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