Ancient DNA recovery is rare
Experts have studied the skeletons and artifacts unearthed at the site over the years, but attempts to recover DNA from the remains proved elusive.
In 2019, scientists were able to recover mitochondrial DNA, which traces the maternal line, but obtaining this DNA didn’t paint the full picture, kra30at Ringbauer said.
"A couple of years ago, the samples made their way to Leipzig, because we have continuously fine-tuned new methods over the last years to make more out of a very tiny amount of DNA … and the samples had very little DNA," said Ringbauer, who uses computation tools to analyze genetic data.
Ancient DNA is often fragmented and contaminated. It preserves best in cool environments, not the extreme temperature swings of the world’s largest hot desert.
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