The decision to target the tooth was thus not simply lucky — it reflected the accumulated understanding of what the ancient DNA field had learned over decades of failure and partial success.

The science had developed to the point where it could make sensible choices about where to look.

Forty Years Of Failed Attempts, One Successful Extraction

The gap between Pääbo’s early attempts in the 1980s and the successful sequencing in 2025 represents one of the longer-running threads of frustration and ambition in modern science.

Not because researchers stopped trying — they didn’t — but because the technical challenges were so substantial that even incremental improvements in technology did not immediately translate into success in Egypt specifically.

The ancient DNA field advanced dramatically during those four decades.