Amino Acid Racemization and the Preservation of Ancient DNA
- 10 May 1996
- journal article
- review article
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 272 (5263), 864-866
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.272.5263.864
Abstract
The extent of racemization of aspartic acid, alanine, and leucine provides criteria for assessing whether ancient tissue samples contain endogenous DNA. In samples in which the D/L ratio of aspartic acid exceeds 0.08, ancient DNA sequences could not be retrieved. Paleontological finds from which DNA sequences purportedly millions of years old have been reported show extensive racemization, and the amino acids present are mainly contaminates. An exception is the amino acids in some insects preserved in amber.Keywords
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