Those later analyses produced results that were scientifically interesting but also scientifically humbling.

What Ancient DNA Eventually Revealed — And What It Left Open

In the years and decades following the 1986 Nature paper, researchers at the University of Florida — particularly a team associated with William Hauswirth and other genetics specialists — continued to work on the ancient DNA preserved in Windover brain tissue and bone.

As PCR technology and then sequencing technology advanced through the late 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the Windover material was revisited with increasingly capable analytical tools.

The Doran-edited volume on Windover, published by the University Press of Florida, contains a dedicated chapter on the DNA analysis of the Windover population, reflecting the sustained scientific investment in the genetic question.