What is an ancient DNA?

Ancient DNA refers to preserved DNA in front of subfosilized (not fully fossilized) remains of ancient animals or humans. For example, ancient DNA was successfully extracted from the bones of Neanderthals, extinct human relatives; Mammoths, large animals similar to elephants that have recently been ice on the ground, and Egyptian priests who lived 4000 years ago. Fossil evidence offers relatively little information about what can be learned from the sequencing of ancient DNA, so it is much desirable and there are many genetics specializing in ancient DNA. The concept of ancient DNA was popularized by Steven Spielberg, the only one of the most popular films from 1990. In Jurassic Park , the dinosaurs are revived by extracting their DNA from mosquitoes preserved in amber that bit these dinosaurs shortly before a tree. In fact, at one point it was thought that dinosaur DNA was obtained, but the subsequent HAVE analysis showed that TomU is not, and the DNA concerned comes from contamination. Studies suggest that the oldest legitimate antiquity DNA is about a million years old. There is some disagreement whether DNA older than this can be maintained in amber.

Ancient DNA means that the genomes of some extinct species, such as non -regional, can be seized. The Max Planck Institute for evolutionary anthropology fully sequenced the Neanderthal genome in 2008, making it a second hominide genome (except humans) to fully sequence. Ancient DNA for the Neanderthal genome project was taken from a 38,000 -year -old sample found in a cave in Croatia.

Some technological risk experts were amazed when in 2007 the genetic code of the Spanish influenza virus from 1918 was determined on the basis of DNA obtained from the remains of people who succumbed to the disease frozen in ice. 1918 spanish flu was the worst gloBall pandemies since the black death of Europe from the 15th century and killed 100 million people. These are more people than died in both world wars. The genetic code of this Spanish influenza virus was open online to use everyone theoretically. This is the disadvantage of old DNA studies.