Methods for the Study of Ancient DNA

Whereas the analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) has become an increasingly popular mode of investigation in both archaeological and evolutionary studies, this approach is complicated by the degraded nature of ancient nucleic acids, the presence of enzymatic inhibitors in aDNA extracts, as well as the risk of contamination during either excavation or manipulation of samples. Despite these difficulties, numerous methods have been developed to optimize the recovery, study, and authentication of aDNA. In this article, we describe the procedures used in our laboratory to extract and amplify informative DNA segments from prehistoric or protohistoric human samples, as well as the precautions and strategies implemented to avoid or at least detect contaminations.