Atlantic sturgeon were fished almost to extinction − ancient DNA reveals how Chesapeake Bay population changed over centuries

Research that combined archaeology, history and ecology provides a nuanced understanding of the past that could help conservationists better plan for the future.

Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
March 20, 2025 ~11 min

Ancient DNA study shows women at the centre of societies in iron age Britain – supporting decades of archaeology

Genetics shows that women stayed put in Late Iron Age Dorset, while men moved to other groups.

Rachel Pope, Reader in European Prehistory, Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool • conversation
Jan. 23, 2025 ~9 min


Did inbreeding cause the woolly mammoth’s extinction? Our research suggests it was more sudden than that

Scientists have long wondered if the wooly mammoth went extinct due to high levels of inbreeding.

Love Dalén, Professor, Stockholm University • conversation
June 27, 2024 ~8 min

DNA says you’re related to a Viking, a medieval German Jew or a 1700s enslaved African? What a genetic match really means

Genealogical and genetic ancestors aren’t the same thing. A DNA match − or a lack of one − may not tell you what you imagine it does about your family tree.

Harald Ringbauer, Group Leader, Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology • conversation
March 29, 2024 ~12 min

DNA from stone age chewing gum sheds light on diet and disease in Scandinavia's ancient hunter-gatherers

Genetic analysis reveals one of the teenagers probably had advanced gum disease.

Emrah Kırdök, Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Mersin University • conversation
Jan. 18, 2024 ~7 min

Mutton, an Indigenous woolly dog, died in 1859 − new analysis confirms precolonial lineage of this extinct breed, once kept for their wool

Dogs have lived with Indigenous Americans since before they came to the continent together 10,000 years ago. A new analysis reveals the lineage of one 1800s ‘woolly dog’ from the Pacific Northwest.

Logan Kistler, Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Dec. 14, 2023 ~12 min

Identifying fire victims through DNA analysis can be challenging − a geneticist explains what forensics is learning from archaeology

Maui officials have asked relatives to provide DNA samples to help identify victims of the Lahaina wildfires. Time and exposure to the elements, however, can make DNA retrieval from remains difficult.

Anne Stone, Professor of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University • conversation
Aug. 18, 2023 ~9 min

Bringing Stone Age genomic material back to life

Scientific breakthroughs will enable exploration of Earth’s biochemical past, with hopes of discovering new therapeutic molecules.

Christy DeSmith • harvard
May 4, 2023 ~6 min


Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics

Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs.

Pierre Stallforth, Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry and Paleobiotechnology, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena • conversation
May 4, 2023 ~9 min

Enigmatic human fossil jawbone may be evidence of an early *Homo sapiens* presence in Europe – and adds mystery about who those humans were

Scientists had figured a fossil found in Spain more than a century ago was from a Neandertal. But a new analysis suggests it could be from a lost lineage of our species, Homo sapiens.

Rolf Quam, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Binghamton University, State University of New York • conversation
May 2, 2023 ~12 min

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