Better characterization of the diet and mobility patterns of the Mal’ta people, through isotope analysis of their bones and teeth, would illuminate the ecology of their lives in ways that purely genetic data cannot.

The grave goods from the Mal’ta burial — the beads, the ornaments, the carved birds — contain their own forms of information that have not yet been fully extracted.

The specific materials used in the beads and pendants, analyzed for their geographic origin, could reveal the extent of the Mal’ta people’s trade networks and mobility range.

The specific working techniques visible in the ivory carvings can be compared against techniques from other Paleolithic sites, helping to map the connections and boundaries of the Upper Paleolithic cultural world.

And there may be additional burials at the site that have not yet been found.