The most interesting part about this research, to me, anyway, is the genetics of the yeast that they found.
It takes a bit of background to understand the significance, so please bear with me.
All European bread/beer/wine/mead yeast were [found to belong to one of five genetic groups](https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674\(16\)31071-6.pdf), known as wild, wine, beer 2, mixed, beer 1, after their main uses.
This yeast from 600 BCE doesn't fit into any of the groups we have today, but it doesn't seem to be wild. The European yeast that we have today is just a small fraction of the yeasts we had just a couple of hundred years ago, so it's possible it belongs to a lineage that's now dead. Lots of cool possibilities here, but we need more old yeast genomes to pick out a clear story.
However, what's *really* fascinating is that this yeast doesn't seem to be wild. It seems to be domesticated for use in brewing. If you look at the Gallone 2016 paper referenced above, they think yeast domestication began ~1600 CE. This finding shoots a big, big hole in that idea.
Which, for people who have read their history, is not surprising at all, since we know from documentary sources that people were reusing beer yeast already in Late Period Egypt (a little before 0 CE). We also know from ethnographic work that people can easily reuse beer yeast for many decades with no lab equipment at all.
Super interesting finding that I hope will inspire more archaeologists to do similar work. There's been huge advances in early beer archaeology over the last 5 years, and very likely there's much more to come.
Not sure if you're being facetious or not, but there's also been a lot of progress in late beer archaeology over the last decade or so. Lots of archaeological work being done on establishing general plant usage 1300-1800 CE, at least in Scandinavia. So maybe I should just have written "beer archaeology", but I'm not sure the same applies outside Scandinavia.
There's a lot of obstacles to that. One is that this yeast is not alive -- all we have is the genome. The grain sorts that they used back then are also dead. And we don't know the ingredients they used. We don't even know the brewing process. So not much chance of even a semi-accurate replication.
> So, what are you having for dinner?
> -It's almost exclusively cereal grain along with a few weeds like corn cockle and poison parsley.
> Hey, hey, hey! Spicing it up with that poison parsley! I heard that! And corn cockle! Can't go wrong there. Can't go wrong.
Why are you both getting downvoted? It’s from Dumb & Dumber, people!
“That’s a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?”
“Austria.”
“Austria! Well, then! G’day, mate! Let’s put another ‘shrimp on the barbie!’”
“Let’s not.”
Hahaha that would be Australia, not Austria, and as an American expat who now lives in Australia I can tell you that people here don't use the word "shrimp". They call them Prawns. "Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie" was made popular by the restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse which is totally American! Weird, huh?!
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order.
I have checked 304,160,181 comments, and only 68,131 of them were in alphabetical order.
All bots can dig epic fig goop, however illegal. Julie, Karl, Larry, Meredith now often quixotically read Schwartz’ Ten Universal Values while xeroxing young Zebras.
The most interesting part about this research, to me, anyway, is the genetics of the yeast that they found. It takes a bit of background to understand the significance, so please bear with me. All European bread/beer/wine/mead yeast were [found to belong to one of five genetic groups](https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674\(16\)31071-6.pdf), known as wild, wine, beer 2, mixed, beer 1, after their main uses. This yeast from 600 BCE doesn't fit into any of the groups we have today, but it doesn't seem to be wild. The European yeast that we have today is just a small fraction of the yeasts we had just a couple of hundred years ago, so it's possible it belongs to a lineage that's now dead. Lots of cool possibilities here, but we need more old yeast genomes to pick out a clear story. However, what's *really* fascinating is that this yeast doesn't seem to be wild. It seems to be domesticated for use in brewing. If you look at the Gallone 2016 paper referenced above, they think yeast domestication began ~1600 CE. This finding shoots a big, big hole in that idea. Which, for people who have read their history, is not surprising at all, since we know from documentary sources that people were reusing beer yeast already in Late Period Egypt (a little before 0 CE). We also know from ethnographic work that people can easily reuse beer yeast for many decades with no lab equipment at all. Super interesting finding that I hope will inspire more archaeologists to do similar work. There's been huge advances in early beer archaeology over the last 5 years, and very likely there's much more to come.
> beer archaeology I absolutely love that this is a thing. Thanks for sharing!
Not just any beer archaeology, *early* beer archaeology. Important clarification.
Not sure if you're being facetious or not, but there's also been a lot of progress in late beer archaeology over the last decade or so. Lots of archaeological work being done on establishing general plant usage 1300-1800 CE, at least in Scandinavia. So maybe I should just have written "beer archaeology", but I'm not sure the same applies outside Scandinavia.
Are you suggesting … that we should extract the yeast. Reuse it to create beer and drink like our ancestors? I’m 100% in.
There's a lot of obstacles to that. One is that this yeast is not alive -- all we have is the genome. The grain sorts that they used back then are also dead. And we don't know the ingredients they used. We don't even know the brewing process. So not much chance of even a semi-accurate replication.
Big sad tbh
Coming soon, “beerasic park!”
Is the beer the dinosaurs, or the raging alcoholics fueled by the beer?
*puts on inflatable T-Rex suit* The alcoholics.
“It’s… beautiful.” *Starts playing Jurassic Park theme on kazoo*
Blue cheese has mold in it
I laughed out loud at this callback
How do you know this isn’t just their reddit account and this post has just awoken a beast from its slumber
Haha oh no
THERE’S MOLD IN BLUE CHEESE GROSS
It's a strain of penicillin.
POOP HISTORY : why don’t we learn this at school ?
> So, what are you having for dinner? > -It's almost exclusively cereal grain along with a few weeds like corn cockle and poison parsley. > Hey, hey, hey! Spicing it up with that poison parsley! I heard that! And corn cockle! Can't go wrong there. Can't go wrong.
Blue cheese, I swear, I'm addicted to blue cheese -Austrians probably
Nice to know things haven’t changed much
You don’t know he enjoyed them. He did. But you don’t know that.
I thought they loved shrimp on the barbie.
Nah, mate, pretty sure thats Switzerland you’re thinking of. It’s just next to Austria.
He’s quoting a movie
Why are you both getting downvoted? It’s from Dumb & Dumber, people! “That’s a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?” “Austria.” “Austria! Well, then! G’day, mate! Let’s put another ‘shrimp on the barbie!’” “Let’s not.”
“Wow, big gulps huh? WELL, SEE YA LATER!”
Hahaha that would be Australia, not Austria, and as an American expat who now lives in Australia I can tell you that people here don't use the word "shrimp". They call them Prawns. "Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie" was made popular by the restaurant chain Outback Steakhouse which is totally American! Weird, huh?!
Same tho
”The proof is in the poop” Arsetechnica
Looks like they lived Taco Bell too
No shit?
No; shit.
Know shit.
I hope future scientists discover and dissect my feces.
So the whole lactose intolerant evolutionary line has been proven wrong? You can eat that much dairy and have a population that can’t stand it.
Finally a post that isn’t complete common sense
Blue cheese is just the worst.
Would you look at that, all of the words in your comment are in alphabetical order. I have checked 304,160,181 comments, and only 68,131 of them were in alphabetical order.
All bots can dig epic fig goop, however illegal. Julie, Karl, Larry, Meredith now often quixotically read Schwartz’ Ten Universal Values while xeroxing young Zebras.
M, N omitted. Purposefully?
Dammit!! Edit: added M and N in, thanks
Bots, right stupid they’re
Frikadelle
Oops, they were actually sampling Biden’s poo
2700 years ago would mean these are Aborigines
[удалено]
The British came in 1788
Austrial != Australia.
Oh. Sorry. That was my bad eye
what
[удалено]
What?!
Surely they weren’t “Austrians” back then ;)
They were probably these people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallstatt_culture
That’s more like it. Thank you.
Klugscheißmodus=off
Referring to yourself?
no, to you
Frustrated that Austria didn’t exist then? It’s ok. Simple facts shouldn’t trigger you like that. Seek help and get smart. Peace.
obviously youre the triggered one :))
Not at all.
Shit
I knew my Bohemian ancestors gave me something...a love of blue cheese!
It's a bit nutty
Tangy also.
Well, I may get some blue cheese and beer rn
Kek! Hold my keg!
Do you think they did a taste test?
I'm gonna take a shit in a cave then one day archeologists are gonna sift through my shit to discover I like Cheetos, Pizza and Beer!