AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Chewing gum in many forms has existed since the Neolithic period. 5, 000-year-old chewing gum made from birch bark tar, with tooth imprints, has been found in Kierikki in Finland. The tar from which the gums were made is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal benefits.

Detailed explanation-2: -A 5, 000-year-old piece of chewing gum, which was discovered by an archaeology student in Finland in 2007, is known as the oldest piece of chewing gum yet found. It is believed that people from the Neolithic Era used chewing gum to treat gum infections. Prominent tooth imprints were also found on the piece of gum.

Detailed explanation-3: -Birch pitch (also called tar), a glue-like substance made by heating birch bark, has been used to fasten stone blades to handles in Europe since at least the Middle Pleistocene (approximately 750, 000 to 125, 000 years ago).

Detailed explanation-4: -Chewing gum has been with us since the Stone Age-chicle gum was made from the sap of the Sapodilla tree. Most modern gums are based on a synthetic equivalent, a rubbery material called polyisobutylene that’s also used in the manufacture of inner tubes.

Detailed explanation-5: -While early chewing gums were made from tree-based resins and natural waxes, these days, both ingredients are synthetically derived from petrochemicals. In other words, the gum you chew is essentially plastic and rubber.