World's Oldest Cheese Found on 3,600-Year-Old Chinese Mummies

DNA analysis reveals ancient kefir cheese on Tarim Basin mummies, challenging beliefs about the origins of fermented dairy.

Scientists extracted and analyzed DNA from cheese found on mummies in China's Tarim Basin, dating back 3,600 years.
The cheese was identified as kefir, made using cow and goat milk, and involved probiotic bacteria and yeast cultures.
The findings suggest kefir cheese-making has been practiced in Northwestern China since the Bronze Age.
The study challenges the belief that kefir originated solely in the North Caucasus region of modern-day Russia.
Researchers observed how the probiotic bacteria in kefir cheese evolved over thousands of years, adapting to human hosts.