The scientific examination of the Ice Maiden in the 1990s was conducted with the best tools available at that time.

But it is worth noting that the science of that period had limitations that have since been significantly reduced.

Ancient DNA analysis, which can now provide detailed information about an ancient individual’s ancestry, genetic health characteristics, and biological relationships, was in its infancy in 1993.

The techniques required for extracting and sequencing ancient DNA from a sample that is 2,500 years old — techniques that have been refined dramatically since the early 1990s — were not yet capable of the kind of analysis that is now routine.

The imaging technologies that allow non-invasive examination of ancient remains — CT scanning, MRI, various forms of spectroscopic analysis — were less advanced in the 1990s than they are today, though some of these were applied to the Ice Maiden’s examination.