title: Ancient DNA.
abstract: DNA that has been recovered from archaeological and palaeontological remains makes it possible to go back in time and study the genetic relationships of extinct organisms to their contemporary relatives. This provides a new perspective on the evolution of organisms and DNA sequences. However, the field is fraught with technical pitfalls and needs stringent criteria to ensure the reliability of results, particularly when human remains are studied.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Inselstrasse 22, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hofreiter
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serre
authors.forename: H N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Poinar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuch
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pääbo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010163:Paleontology; D010802:Phylogeny
chemical_list: D004247:DNA