Chew on this: The 10,000-year history of gum. The not-quite-snack has a storied past and some surprising benefits. By Lauren Leffer. Published Apr 14, 2025 8:00 AM EDT.

BARBER: Then we have a sample of ancient chewing gum that tells us about dental care and diets in the Stone Age. HUANG: And then, billions of cicadas are appearing this spring.

Ancient 'chewing gum' reveals stone age diet. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2024 / 01 / 240118122104.htm. Stockholm University.

Chewing Gum Is An Ancient Habit. To understand how it became such a ubiquitous commodity today, we must look to the ancient origins of chewing gum. Humans have been masticating for millennia.

Scientists extracted DNA from chewing gum used by teenagers almost 10,000 years ago. The gum provided clues into what the teenagers had eaten and their lifestyle. Stone Age teenagers' diets ...

BARBER: Then we have a sample of ancient chewing gum that tells us about dental care and diets in the Stone Age. HUANG: And then, billions of cicadas are appearing this spring.

NPR's Juana Summers talks with Regina Barber and Pien Huang of Short Wave about a double emergence of cicadas this spring, invasive ants in Kenya, and the secrets in an ancient wad of chewing gum.