The DNA That Refuses to Die

Discover the astonishing science of ancient DNA in The DNA That Refuses to Die: The Astonishing Survival of Genetic Material After Death, Burial, and Deep Time. Explore how DNA survives after death, decomposition, burial, freezing, desiccation, and thousands-even millions-of years of environmental change. This fascinating popular-science book examines how genetic material persists inside bones, teeth, hair, sediments, permafrost, caves, deserts, and other natural environments, and how scientists extract and analyze fragmented ancient DNA. Learn how researchers reconstruct the genetic histories of Neanderthals, Denisovans, mammoths, cave bears, ancient humans, and other extinct organisms; distinguish authentic ancient DNA from modern contamination; recover environmental DNA from soil and sediment; and determine the limits of DNA preservation across deep time. Combining molecular biology, archaeology, genetics, paleontology, forensic science, and evolutionary history, this intriguing book reveals why DNA can outlive the organisms that carried it and what surviving genetic fragments can tell us about vanished species, lost ecosystems, ancient migrations, human evolution, and the distant past. Perfect for readers interested in ancient DNA, genetic archaeology, evolutionary science, paleogenomics, molecular archaeology, extinct species, human origins, and the remarkable persistence of life's molecular blueprint.