Abstract
The study of DNA from ancient material adds molecular data from fossils to evolutionary biological research. Examples of successful retrieval and characterization of Pleistocene DNA include mammoths [1-8], mastodon [4], ground sloths [9-11], a sabre-tooth tiger [12], a cave bear [13], the Neanderthal type specimen [14], and modern human remains [15]. Although the fossils studied were from various locations, a few conditions are generally shared. Most samples are derived from permafrost, i. e., the mammoth samples, or cold caves, i. e., an extinct mylodontid ground sloth. Based on these studies and the fact that the only reproducible results date to the late Pleistocene, success is predicted to be confined to samples no older than 50,000 years of age
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Greenwood, A.D. (2002). Late Pleistocene DNA Extraction and Analysis. In: DeSalle, R., Giribet, G., Wheeler, W. (eds) Techniques in Molecular Systematics and Evolution. Methods and Tools in Biosciences and Medicine. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8125-8_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-8125-8_13
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Basel
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