Researchers have discovered the world’s oldest fossilized peach pits in China. The eight well-preserved peach pits, known as endocarps, could be over 2.5 million years old. The researchers said the oldest fossilized peach pits are identical to today’s peach pits.

After analyzing the pits, the researchers found that peaches evolved before they were domesticated by humans. They hope the findings could reveal history of the fruit, which baffled researchers from a long time.

Peter Wilf, a professor of paleobotany at Penn State and an author of the study reported in Scientific Reports, said, “The peach is an important part of human history, and it’s important to understand how it became what it is today. If we know the origins of our resources we can make better use of them”.

Lead author of the study, Tao Su from Xishuangbanna Tropical Garden, found the ancient fossils in southwest China when a rock outcrop was exposed during road construction. According to Su, the fossils were found in strata. It was a surprising and fantastic discovery, Su added.

Su said the finding could help in understanding how modern fruit was evolved. It is believed that the fruit was evolved in China, now the new findings are revealing several secrets of peaches which weren’t known yet.

After finding the fossils, Su brought them to Penn State. Several tests concluded that the fossils could be over 2.5 million years old.