Gold and silver tubes in a Russian museum are the oldest known drinking straws
Metal artifacts enabled communal beer drinking more than 5,000 years ago, researchers say
![an illustration of ancient people gathered around a pot drinking from long straws](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/011922_bb_straws_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Eight gold and silver tubes identified by researchers as more than 5,000-year-old straws were probably used to drink beer from a communal container, as depicted here.
Kelvin Wilson