Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 18, 2026

Primer Extension Capture: Targeted Sequence Retrieval from Heavily Degraded DNA Sources
Published on: September 3, 2009
The biochemistry of ancient DNA in bone
1Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington District of Columbia 20560.
Abstract:
The amount of DNA in ancient bone was determined by ethidium bromide staining after the removal of the potent Taq inhibitor, fulvic acid. A complete decalcification and a perfusion protocol were used to recover DNA from bone. A variety of purification techniques including molecular sieve, hydroxyapatite binding and 'Magic' preparations yielded DNA that spanned from 3.4 micrograms/g of bone to below detectable limits. Fulvic acid was shown to interfere with the quantification of DNA derived from ancient human skeletal material one hundred to over seven thousand years old. Scanning UV in the 300 to 230 nm range is a simple and sensitive technique for documenting fulvic acid contamination in ancient bone extracts.
Related Concept Videos
The DNA Helix
DNA Isolation
Bone Structure
Bone Remodeling
DNA Isolation
The Bone Matrix

