Student Finds 5000-Year-Old Chewing Gum 143
itsthebin writes "Sarah Pickin, 23, found the lump of birch bark tar — complete with neolithic tooth prints — on a dig in Finland. Ms Pickin's tutor at the University of Derby, Professor Trevor Brown, said birch bark tar contained phenols, which are antiseptic compounds. 'It is generally believed that neolithic people found that by chewing this stuff if they had gum infections it helped to treat the condition. It's particularly significant because well-defined tooth imprints were found on the gum which Sarah discovered,' he said. Ms Pickin was on a volunteer program at the Kierikki Centre on the west coast of Finland when she made the find."
Deja vu (Score:5, Funny)
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Tell her to wait 5,000 years.
I just gotta ask.... (Score:5, Funny)
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I think it was found on the bottom of a 5000 yr old shoe.
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Where it was found (Score:5, Funny)
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Still playing Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Singapore (Score:5, Funny)
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They'd be identified by all the spanking paddles and broken tailbones.
ABC (Score:1)
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Needs to be said (Score:2)
Even the cave man knew that.
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> Even the cave man knew that.
You guys are underestimating cave men! Haven't you seen the Geico commercials? http://www.cavemanscrib.com/ [cavemanscrib.com]
What I want to know is... how the heck did they know that the broken amber ring was used as payment for seal skins??
Re:Needs to be said (Score:4, Funny)
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Unless you're that Geico caveman dude...?
Re:Needs to be said (Score:4, Funny)
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'Cold Ethel never says no.'
Hard to remember that far back right now with my current blood to beer ratio...gotta go whiz...later.
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YMMV
Mouthwash? (Score:1)
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Which flavor listerine? (Score:1)
However, listerine isn't easily re-usable while this treesap gum could be...
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Photo Caption (Score:5, Funny)
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Here is the photo caption from the article, for those looking for it:
(about 2/3 down the page)
Just wondering? (Score:1)
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Re:Just wondering? (Score:5, Funny)
ummmm. Birch?
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Interesting fact... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Interesting fact... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Interesting fact... (Score:5, Informative)
Just to be pedantic...
Xylitol is actually a sugar alcohol, not a "true" sugar. Sorbitol is similar. Both are good for you because the bacteria in your teeth try to digest it, but can't actually get any nutrition from it -- so the energy spent trying is wasted.
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Re:Interesting fact... (Score:4, Informative)
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I've heard that this habit exists also in baltic countries and I guess a lot of other countries as well (?)
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It was no gum ... (Score:1)
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Most of the locals. Eden is a spa in Nokia.
And besides, wouldn't you rather say that Linux came from land of paradise than from hell.
Student finds 5000-yr-old chewing gum (Score:1)
everyone wants to know: (Score:5, Funny)
The bubble gum company went extinct (Score:2)
Collector's note (Score:2)
Interesting picture caption (Score:2, Funny)
Just shows (Score:2)
Tree Gum (Score:3, Interesting)
Am I still reading Slashdot? (Score:4, Funny)
--
Won't someone please think of the trolls?
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2) Social isn't really science
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Truly Amazing (Score:1)
figured... (Score:2)
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Even then, the low "life-expectancy" that you read about is a bit misleading. Life expectancy got dragged down by very high childhood death rates. Once you made it past childhood, you had a reasonable expectation to live into your 50s or so.
So then I guess the question again is, how did anyo
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Re:figured... (Score:5, Informative)
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Dental Carries didn't become common until man started farming cereal grains^H^H^H^H^H eating well enough to live past 30.
Fixed that for you [wikipedia.org].
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From what I read, the so-called primitive tribes had a diet which differs from our current diet greatly; and yet their robustness and health indicates that they may infact have been smarter than us.
Yes, actually. The cat does "got my tongue." (Score:1)
The article continues:
"Scientists also found the tar blob contained traces of ethanol and THC, though they as yet don't know what effect this may have had on the ancient chewing populations."
I hope she found enough for everyone! (Score:2)
l337 archeology sk1LLz (Score:2)
What? You can't be any more exact? I want to know the shape, weight and colour of the seal skins, and who bought them.
Otherwise a nice story. I have to go back and re-read the second paragraph
Flintsone Vision (Score:1)
Package was found nearby (Score:3, Funny)
Grunt Growl Roar
Snort Grumble Grunt!
eBay? (Score:1)
Old News (Score:2, Funny)
Chew Gum (Score:2)
Obligatory... (Score:1)
Reading Playboy for articles (Score:2)
Yeah right, and caveman also started drinking wine because it's good for the heart. Russians always pick off birch tar and chew it because it tastes good and gives you something to do. I never heard anything about gum health.
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The real question (Score:2)
Re:The real question (slight modif.) (Score:1)
just back from Finland (Score:1)
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5000 BC, not 5000 years old (Score:4, Informative)
That's some prior art! (Score:2)
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They can't chew gum and post at the same time
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Actually, this would have been Aleph Beth Gimmel Gum.
And now someone please correct my spelling of the Hebrew alphabet.
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And Gimel is with one m.
At least that's what an Israeli told me.
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ABC gum is actually short for "Already been chewed". Not the alphabet.
Now, I have no idea what the words for that would be in Hebrew, but if they start with A B G, I stand corrected.
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I'm Greek you insensitive clod! (well, not really...)
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