[PDF] Applied Uses Of Ancient Dna eBook

Author : Susanne Hummel
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 18,45 MB
Release : 2013-03-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 3662050501

GET BOOK

This is the definitive source of information on techniques for the identification and sequencing of old DNA (pieces) and their use in biological and medical research and application. Application of aDNA techniques are useful tools for investigations reaching from evolutionary studies to law enforcement approaches. What brings them together is the interest in specific methods of handling aDNA, i.e. elaborated PCR and sequencing techniques and the interpretation of the results. This books serves as an ideal guideline for it demonstrates how problem-solving strategies can be applied in various areas.

Author : Bernd Herrmann
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 275 pages
File Size : 31,86 MB
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 1461243181

GET BOOK

Ancient DNA refers to DNA which can be recovered and analyzed from clinical, museum, archaeological and paleontological specimens. Ancient DNA ranges in age from less than 100 years to tens of millions of years. The study of ancient DNA is a young field, but it has been revolutionized by the application of polymerase chain reaction technology, and interest is growing very rapidly. Fields as diverse as evolution, anthropology, medicine, agriculture, and even law enforcement have quickly found applications in the recovery of ancient DNA. This book contains contributions from many of the "first generation" researchers who pioneered the development and application of ancient DNA methods. Their chapters present the protocols and precautions which have resulted in the remarkable results obtained in recent years. The range of subjects reflects the wide diversity of applications that are emerging in research on ancient DNA, including the study of DNA to analyze kinship, recovery of DNA from organisms trapped in amber, ancient DNA from human remains preserved in a variety of locations and conditions, DNA recovered from herbarium and museum specimens, and DNA isolated from ancient plant seeds or compression fossils. Ancient DNA will serve as a valuable source of information, ideas, and protocols for anyone interested in this extraordinary field.

Author : Alexander Immel
Publisher :
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 10,29 MB
Release : 2020*
Category :
ISBN :

GET BOOK

Ancient DNA has become an indispensable resource of fundamental research. Especially the combination of DNA capture methods and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) has allowed to exploit the full potential of ancient DNA. In this dissertation I present three studies which involve capture of ancient DNA to answer different scientific questions. In my first study I bioinformatically reconstruct the mitochondrial genome of the extinct giant deer Megaloceros giganteus after applying mitochondrial DNA capture and sequencing. Using the giant deer's reconstructed mitochondrial genome I then apply phylogenetic analyses that allow to resolve the giant deer's placement within the cervid family tree and reaffirm the fallow deer being its closest extant relative. Mitochondrial DNA capture also provides the basis for the next study, in which I investigate the effects of X-rays on ancient DNA. Different radiation settings are explored including those commonly used in computed tomography (CT) of anthropological and palaeontological specimens. The results allow to define 200 Gray (Gy) as the maximum absorbed X-ray dose which can still be regarded harmless to ancient DNA molecules. No X-radiation induced effects can be observed below this threshold. In my third study I develop and apply capture of 488 human immunity genes in order to compare the immunogenetic makeup of Late Medieval plague (Yersinia pestis) victims and their modern day successors from Ellwangen, Southern Germany. Applying bioinformatic tools allows me to investigate kinship within both populations, determine genetic continuity between past and present, and reconstruct the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) allelic profiles of both populations. While the majority of HLA alleles do not differ in their frequencies, HLA-B51:01 and HLA-DRB113 show significant frequency differences between both populations, potentially indicative of selective pressure through Yersinia pestis.

Author : Beth Shapiro
Publisher : Humana Press
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 26,71 MB
Release : 2012-01-16
Category : Medical
ISBN : 9781617795152

GET BOOK

Research into ancient DNA began more than 25 years ago with the publication of short mitochondrial DNA sequence fragments from the quagga, an extinct relative of the zebra. Ancient DNA research really gained momentum following the invention of PCR, which allowed millions of copies to be made of the few remaining DNA molecules preserved in fossils and museum specimens. In Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols expert researchers in the field describe many of the protocols that are now commonly used to study ancient DNA. These include instructions for setting up an ancient DNA laboratory, extraction protocols for a wide range of different substrates, details of laboratory techniques including PCR and NGS library preparation, and suggestions for appropriate analytical approaches to make sense of the sequences obtained. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Ancient DNA: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientists in the further study of ancient DNA and the methodological approaches in ancient research.

Author : Elizabeth D. Jones
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 279 pages
File Size : 26,73 MB
Release : 2022-03-29
Category : SCIENCE
ISBN : 0300240120

GET BOOK

"The story of the search for DNA and protein molecules from fossils, along with the controversy and celebrity that have followed it, helping to define the formation of a new scientific field now widely known as "ancient DNA research.""--

Author : Beth Shapiro
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 33,35 MB
Release : 2020-09-08
Category : Nature
ISBN : 0691209561

GET BOOK

An insider's view on bringing extinct species back to life Could extinct species, like mammoths and passenger pigeons, be brought back to life? In How to Clone a Mammoth, Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary biologist and pioneer in ancient DNA research, addresses this intriguing question by walking readers through the astonishing and controversial process of de-extinction. From deciding which species should be restored to anticipating how revived populations might be overseen in the wild, Shapiro vividly explores the extraordinary cutting-edge science that is being used to resurrect the past. Considering de-extinction's practical benefits and ethical challenges, Shapiro argues that the overarching goal should be the revitalization and stabilization of contemporary ecosystems. Looking at the very real and compelling science behind an idea once seen as science fiction, How to Clone a Mammoth demonstrates how de-extinction will redefine conservation's future.

Author : David Reich
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 45,39 MB
Release : 2018-03-29
Category : Science
ISBN : 0192554387

GET BOOK

The past few years have witnessed a revolution in our ability to obtain DNA from ancient humans. This important new data has added to our knowledge from archaeology and anthropology, helped resolve long-existing controversies, challenged long-held views, and thrown up remarkable surprises. The emerging picture is one of many waves of ancient human migrations, so that all populations living today are mixes of ancient ones, and often carry a genetic component from archaic humans. David Reich, whose team has been at the forefront of these discoveries, explains what genetics is telling us about ourselves and our complex and often surprising ancestry. Gone are old ideas of any kind of racial âpurity.' Instead, we are finding a rich variety of mixtures. Reich describes the cutting-edge findings from the past few years, and also considers the sensitivities involved in tracing ancestry, with science sometimes jostling with politics and tradition. He brings an important wider message: that we should recognize that every one of us is the result of a long history of migration and intermixing of ancient peoples, which we carry as ghosts in our DNA. What will we discover next?