The story of how DNA survives for 45,000 years deserves more than a passing mention, because it is one of the more remarkable facts in modern science — and because understanding it helps explain why Zlatý kůň could be genomically analyzed at all.

After an organism dies, its DNA begins to degrade almost immediately.

The process is relentless and multi-fronted.

Cellular enzymes, released when the cell membrane breaks down, attack the DNA strands.

Bacteria — both those that were already present in the organism’s gut and mouth, and those from the surrounding environment — consume the tissue and break down the genetic material.

Hydrolysis, the chemical attack of water molecules on the bonds that link DNA’s constituent units, progressively cleaves the long strands into shorter and shorter fragments.

Oxidation causes additional chemical changes that scramble the genetic code.