TY - JOUR
T1 - Ancient genomics
AU - Der Sarkissian, Clio
AU - Allentoft, Morten Erik
AU - Avila Arcos, Maria del Carmen
AU - Barnett, Ross
AU - Campos, Paula F.
AU - Cappellini, Enrico
AU - Ermini, Luca
AU - Fernandez Garcia, Rut
AU - Rodrigues da Fonseca, Rute Andreia
AU - Ginolhac, Aurélien
AU - Hansen, Anders Johannes
AU - Jónsson, Hákon
AU - Korneliussen, Thorfinn Sand
AU - Margaryan, Ashot
AU - Martin, Michael David
AU - Moreno Mayar, José Victor
AU - Raghavan, Maanasa
AU - Rasmussen, Morten
AU - Sandoval Velasco, Marcela
AU - Schroeder, Hannes
AU - Schubert, Mikkel
AU - Seguin-Orlando, Andaine
AU - Wales, Nathan
AU - Gilbert, M. Thomas P.
AU - Willerslev, Eske
AU - Orlando, Ludovic Antoine Alexandre
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - The past decade has witnessed a revolution in ancient DNA (aDNA) research. Although the field's focus was previously limited to mitochondrial DNA and a few nuclear markers, whole genome sequences from the deep past can now be retrieved. This breakthrough is tightly connected to the massive sequence throughput of next generation sequencing platforms and the ability to target short and degraded DNA molecules. Many ancient specimens previously unsuitable for DNA analyses because of extensive degradation can now successfully be used as source materials. Additionally, the analytical power obtained by increasing the number of sequence reads to billions effectively means that contamination issues that have haunted aDNA research for decades, particularly in human studies, can now be efficiently and confidently quantified. At present, whole genomes have been sequenced from ancient anatomically modern humans, archaic hominins, ancient pathogens and megafaunal species. Those have revealed important functional and phenotypic information, as well as unexpected adaptation, migration and admixture patterns. As such, the field of aDNA has entered the new era of genomics and has provided valuable information when testing specific hypotheses related to the past.
AB - The past decade has witnessed a revolution in ancient DNA (aDNA) research. Although the field's focus was previously limited to mitochondrial DNA and a few nuclear markers, whole genome sequences from the deep past can now be retrieved. This breakthrough is tightly connected to the massive sequence throughput of next generation sequencing platforms and the ability to target short and degraded DNA molecules. Many ancient specimens previously unsuitable for DNA analyses because of extensive degradation can now successfully be used as source materials. Additionally, the analytical power obtained by increasing the number of sequence reads to billions effectively means that contamination issues that have haunted aDNA research for decades, particularly in human studies, can now be efficiently and confidently quantified. At present, whole genomes have been sequenced from ancient anatomically modern humans, archaic hominins, ancient pathogens and megafaunal species. Those have revealed important functional and phenotypic information, as well as unexpected adaptation, migration and admixture patterns. As such, the field of aDNA has entered the new era of genomics and has provided valuable information when testing specific hypotheses related to the past.
U2 - 10.1098/rstb.2013.0387
DO - 10.1098/rstb.2013.0387
M3 - Review
C2 - 25487338
VL - 370
JO - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
SN - 0962-8436
IS - 1660
M1 - 20130387
ER -