Scientists have discovered human DNA on ancient head lice dug up in South America after 2000 years.
The human genetic material was found in a "cement like" glue that female lice use to attach their eggs to hair follicles.
Researchers from the University of Reading, who led the project conducted between five universities, believe this may provide new clues into ancient people and their migration patterns.
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Dr Alejandra Perotti even compared the discovery to the storyline of the original Jurassic Park movie where dinosaur DNA was found in a mosquito fossilised in amber 65 million years ago.
"We have shown that our genetic information can be preserved by the sticky substance produced by headlice on our hair," Dr Perotti said in a paper released on the finding.
The samples were extracted from mummified corpses found in the Calingasta Caves and rock shelters of the Andes Mountains, in the San Juan province of Argentina.
The findings were published in the Molecular Biology and Evolution journal.
Dr Perotti's team conducted genome sequencing on skin cells found in the lice "cement" and discovered the mummies in the Andes were originally from the rainforests in Colombia and southern Venezuela.
"We can study thousands of years of the hosts, and lice's, natural and evolutionary history just by examining the DNA trapped in the cement," Dr Perotti said.
The team even studied the DNA of the lice eggs themselves and found that the parasites' migration history matched that of the human hosts from the Amazon to the Andes.
While human DNA is traditionally extracted from the skulls or teeth of ancient corpses, this doesn't always produce clear results and is seen as culturally insensitive to indigenous people.
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But according to Dr Perotti's team, the samples extracted from the lice glue have the same concentration of DNA as tooth remains and double that of samples found in bones.
The samples were so clear they even found what is believed to be the earliest evidence of Merkel cell Polymavirus.
Discovered in 2008, the virus can cause skin cancer and scientists can now speculate that head lice might play a role in its spread.
