Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Optimized Bone Sampling Protocols for the Retrieval of Ancient DNA from Archaeological Remains
Published on: November 30, 2021
Insights into human history from the first decade of ancient human genomics
Yichen Liu1, Xiaowei Mao1, Johannes Krause2
1Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, China.
Abstract:
Recent advancements in DNA sequencing technologies and laboratory preparation protocols have rapidly expanded the scope of ancient DNA research over the past decade, both temporally and geographically. Discoveries include interactions between archaic and modern humans as well as modern human population dynamics, including those coinciding with the Last Glacial Maximum and the settlement history of most world regions. This new type of data allows us to examine the deep past of human population dynamics and sharpen the current understanding of our present. The continued development in the ancient DNA field has transformed our understanding of human genetic history and will keep uncovering the further mysteries of our recent evolutionary past.
Related Concept Videos
Genomics
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Next-generation Sequencing
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Sanger Sequencing

