Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T19:54:48.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Ancient DNA and the archaeologist

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Terence A. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Applied Molecular Biology, UMIST, Manschester M60 1QD
Keri A. Brown
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Applied Molecular Biology, UMIST, Manschester M60 1QD

Extract

Out of molecular biology – the revolution of past decades in biological science – there now begins to come molecular archaeology, the study of DNA in ancient plants, animals and people to address questions of history as well as biology. Here is set out what molecular archaeology is about, how it works and what it has begun to do.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown, T.A. 1990. Gene cloning: an introduction. 2nd edition. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
Brown, T.A. 1992. Genetics: α molecular approach. 2nd edition. London: Chapman & Hall.Google Scholar
In press. Preservation of the genetic material, in Horie, V. (ed.), Care and conservation of natural history specimens. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Cattaneo, C, Gelsthorpe, K., Phillips, R. & Sokol, RJ.. 1990. Blood in ancient human bone, Nature 347: 339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cherfas, J. 1991. Ancient DNA: still busy after death, Science 253: 1354–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cooper, D.N. & Schmidtke, J.. 1984. DNA restriction fragment polymorphisms and heterozygosity in the human genome, Human Genetics 66: 116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Delisi, C. 1988. The human gene project, American Scientist 76: 488–93.Google Scholar
Del Pozzo, G. & Guardiola, J.. 1989. Mummy DNA fragment identified, Nature 339: 431–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denhardt, D.T. 1966. A membrane-filter technique for the detection of complementary DNA, Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 23: 641–6.Google Scholar
Di Rienzo, A. & Wilson, A.C.. 1991. Branching pattern in the evolutionary tree for human mitochondrial DNA, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 88: 15971601.Google Scholar
Evershed, R.P. 1990. Preliminary report of the analysis of lipids from samples of skin from seven dutch bog bodies, Archaeometry 33: 139–53.Google Scholar
Flavell, R.B., Goldsbrough, A.P., Robert, L.S., Schnick, D. & Thompson, R.D.. 1989. Genetic variation in wheat HMW glutenin subunits and the molecular basis of breadmaking quality, Biotechnology 7: 1281–5.Google Scholar
Garland, A.N. 1989. Microscopical analysis of fossil bone, Applied Geochemistry 4: 215–29.Google Scholar
Golenberg, E.M. 1991. Amplification and analysis of Miocene plant fossil DNA, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (series B) 333: 419–27.Google Scholar
Golenberg, E.M, Giannasi, D.E., Clegg, M.T., Smiley, C.J., Durbin, M., Henderson, D. & Zurawski, G.. 1990. Chloroplast DNA sequence from a Miocene Magnolia species, Nature 344: 656–8.Google Scholar
Hagelberg, E., Bell, L.S., Allen, T., Boyde, A., Jones, S.J. & Clegg, J.B.. 1991a. Analysis of ancient bone DNA: techniques and applications, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (series B) 333: 399407.Google Scholar
Hagelberg, E. & Clegg, J.B.. 1991. Isolation and characterization of DNA from archaeological bone, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London (series B) 244: 4550.Google Scholar
Hagelberg, E., Gray, I.C. & Jeffreys, A.J.. 1991b. Identification of the skeletal remains of a murder victim by DNA analysis, Nature 352: 427–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hagelberg, E., Sykes, B. & Hedges, R.. 1989. Ancient bone DNA amplified, Nature 342: 485.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hänni, C, Laudet, V., Sakka, M., Begue, A. & Stehelin, D.. 1990. Amplification of mitochondrial DNA fragments from ancient human teeth and bones, Comptes rendus de l’Académie des Sciences, Paris (series III) 310: 365–70.Google Scholar
Higuchi, R., Bowman, B., Freiberger, M., Ryder, O.A. & Wilson, A.C.. 1984. DNA sequences from the quagga, an extinct member of the horse family, Nature 312: 282–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horai, S., Hayasaka, K., Murayama, K., Wate, N., Koike, H. & Nakai, N.. 1989. DNA amplification from ancient human skeletal remains and their sequence analysis, Proceedings of the Japanese Academy 65: 229–33.Google Scholar
Horai, S., Kondo, R., Murayama, K., Hayashi, S., Koike, H. & Nakai, N.. 1991. Phylogenetic affiliation of ancient and contemporary humans inferred from mitochondrial DNA. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (series B) 333: 409–17.Google Scholar
Hughes, M.A., Jones, D.S. & Connolly, R.C.. 1986. Body in the bog but no DNA, Nature 323: 208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hummel, S. & Herrmann, B.. 1991. Y-chromosome-specifìc DNA amplified in ancient human bone, Naturwissenschaften 78: 266–7.Google Scholar
Jeffreys, A.J., Wilson, V., Thein, S.L., Weatherall, D.J. & Ponder, B.A.J.. 1986. DNA ‘fingerprints’ and segregation analysis of multiple markers in human pedigrees, American Journal of Human Genetics 39: 1124.Google Scholar
Lawlor, D.A., Dickel, CD., Hauswirth, W.W. & Parham, P.. 1991. Ancient HLA genes from 7500-year-old archaeological remains, Nature 349: 785–8.Google Scholar
Maxam, A. & Gilbert, W.. 1977. A new method of sequencing DNA, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 74: 560–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pääbo, S. 1984. Über den Nachweis von DNA in altägyptischen Mumien, Das Altertum 30:213–8.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S. 1985a. Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA, Nature 314: 644–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pääbo, S 1985b. Preservation of DNA in Ancient Egyptian mummies, Journal of Archaeological Science 12: 411–17.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S 1989. Ancient DNA: extraction, characterization, molecular cloning, and enzymatic amplification, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 86: 1939–43.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S. & Di Rienzo, A.. In press. A molecular approach to the study of Egyptian history. London: British Museum Publications.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S., Gifford, J.A. & Wilson, A.C.. 1988. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from a 7000-year old brain, Nucleic Acids Research 16: 9775–87.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S., Higuchi, R.G. & Wilson, A.C.. 1989. Ancient DNA and the polymerase chain reaction, Journal of Riological Chemistry 264: 9709–12.Google ScholarPubMed
Pääbo, S., Irwin, D.M. & Wilson, A.C.. 1990. DNA damage promotes jumping between templates during enzymatic amplification, Journal of Biological Chemistry 265: 4718–21.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S. & Wilson, A.C.. 1988. Polymerase chain reaction reveals cloning artefacts, Nature 334: 387–8.Google Scholar
Pääbo, S. 1991. Miocene DNA sequences – a dream come true? Current Biology 1: 45–6.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rollo, F., Amici, A., Salvi, R. & Garbuglia, A.. 1988. Short but faithful pieces of ancient DNA, Nature 335: 774.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saiki, R.K., Gelfand, D.H., Stoffel, S., Scharf, S.J., Higuchi, R., Horn, CT., Mullis, K.B. & Erlich, H.A.. 1988. Primer-directed enzymatic amplification of DNA with a thermostable DNA polymerase, Science 239: 487–91.Google Scholar
Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A.R.. 1977. DNA sequencing with chain-terminating inhibitors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 74: 5463–7.Google Scholar
Sykes, B. 1991 The past comes alive, Nature 352: 381–2.Google Scholar
Thuesen, I. & Engberg, J.. 1990. Recovery and analysis of human genetic material from mummified tissue and bone, Journal of Archaeological Science 17: 679–89.Google Scholar
Thomas, R.H., Schaffner, W., Wilson, A.C. & Pääbo, S.. 1989. DNA phylogeny of the extinct marsupial wolf, Nature 340: 465–7.Google Scholar
Vigilant, L., Stoneking, M., Harpending, H., Hawkes, K. & Wilson, A.C.. 1991. African populations and the evolution of human mitochondrial DNA, Science 253: 1503–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weaver, R.F. & Hedrick, P.W.. 1991. Basic Genetics. Dubuque (IA): W.C. Brown.Google Scholar