Scientists have made an amazing discovery that has answered a long-standing question: where cavemen who drew the spotted horses in Pech Merle, France taking artistic license? The answer appears to be no. The horses were indeed spotted, according to new DNA analysis of horse teeth from 25,000 years ago.
Of course, for creationists who insist the Earth cannot be more than 5000 years old, you can stood reading. These drawings occurred 10,000 years earlier than the creation of the Earth.
Scientists analyzed the bones and teeth of 31 horses that lived in Europe and published the results yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. The team, headed by Arne Ludwig, a geneticist at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, found that six of the ancient horses had a gene associated with the spotting pattern.
The finding seems to contradict the views of French archaeologist Jean Clottes, president of the International Federation of Rock Art Organizations, who argued that the paintings were shamanistic or religious in nature. He, however, is not ready to give up the ghost — noting that the ancient artists included dots both inside and outside the outlines of their horses.
