Philip Dei
Wed, Jul-23-03, 06:12
Brief communication: Ancient DNA prospects from Sri Lankan
highland dry caves support an emerging global pattern Floyd A.
Reed 1 *, Elias J. Kontanis 2, Kenneth A.R. Kennedy 2, Charles
F. Aquadro
Abstract Recovery of ancient DNA has become an increasingly
important tool in elucidating the origins of past populations
and their relationships. Unfortunately, many human skeletal
remains do not contain original DNA amplifiable by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR). Amino-acid racemization has proven to be
a useful predictor of ancient DNA results. We analyzed the
relative levels of amino-acid preservation and racemization of
human samples from two highland dry-cave sites in Sri Lanka,
and found that amino-acid enantiomer ratios were inconsistent
with successful authentic DNA recovery. A review of the
literature reveals that these results are consistent with a
global pattern of poor DNA preservation in the tropics.
highland dry caves support an emerging global pattern Floyd A.
Reed 1 *, Elias J. Kontanis 2, Kenneth A.R. Kennedy 2, Charles
F. Aquadro
Abstract Recovery of ancient DNA has become an increasingly
important tool in elucidating the origins of past populations
and their relationships. Unfortunately, many human skeletal
remains do not contain original DNA amplifiable by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR). Amino-acid racemization has proven to be
a useful predictor of ancient DNA results. We analyzed the
relative levels of amino-acid preservation and racemization of
human samples from two highland dry-cave sites in Sri Lanka,
and found that amino-acid enantiomer ratios were inconsistent
with successful authentic DNA recovery. A review of the
literature reveals that these results are consistent with a
global pattern of poor DNA preservation in the tropics.