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Can DNA fingerprints be taken from ancient remains?

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The techniques used in DNA fingerprinting also have applications in paleontology, archaeology, various fields of biology, and medical diagnostics. It has, for example, been used to match the goatskin fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. In biological classification , it can help to show evolutionary change and relationships on the molecular level, and it has the advantage of being able to be used even when only very small samples, such as tiny pieces of preserved tissue from extinct animals, are available.

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Get more facts and information about DNA fingerprinting . Or, view the full encyclopedia entry from The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition.

Similar questions: Can you take a DNA sample from old remains? How recent do remains need to be to take a DNA sample? How old can a DNA sample be? Is DNA fingerprinting used in archaeology? [ Hide these questions ]

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