Showing posts with label genetic material. Show all posts
Showing posts with label genetic material. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

The Lab Discovering DNA in Old Books Artifacts have genetic material hidden inside, which can help scientists understand the past.; The Atlantic, February 19, 2019

Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic;

The Lab Discovering DNA in Old Books


"Artifacts have genetic material hidden inside, which can help scientists understand the past.

"But Collins isn’t just interested in human remains. He’s interested in the things these humans made; the animals they bred, slaughtered, and ate; and the economies they created.

That’s why he was studying DNA from the bones of livestock—and why his lab is now at the forefront of studying DNA from objects such as parchment, birch-bark tar, and beeswax. These objects can fill in gaps in the written record, revealing new aspects of historical production and trade. How much beeswax came from North Africa, for example? Or how did cattle plague make its way through Europe? With ample genetic data, you might reconstruct a more complete picture of life hundreds of years in the past."