Ancient Dna: Methods - And Protocols

The exterior of the bone or tooth is usually mechanically removed (sanding) or treated with bleach and UV light to remove surface contaminants. 3. Extraction Methods

Proteinase K is added to break down cellular proteins and nucleases. Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols

Once extracted, the DNA must be prepared for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS). The exterior of the bone or tooth is

Samples are ground into a fine powder and soaked in EDTA, which chelates calcium and dissolves the bone matrix. Once extracted, the DNA must be prepared for

Over time, DNA strands break into very short fragments, typically between 30 and 100 base pairs.

Success begins with choosing the right material. The (part of the skull) and tooth cementum are the "gold standards" because their high density protects DNA from environmental leaching.

Synthetic DNA "adapters" are attached to the ends of the fragments, allowing them to bind to the sequencing platform.