A child.

A population.

A history.

All of it, in something small enough to hold in the palm of a hand.

— FINAL END —

The Genomic Methods That Made It Possible

The specific ancient-DNA methodology applied to the Trail Creek tooth represents one of the frontiers of what modern science can extract from biological material that has survived for thousands of years under far from ideal conditions.

Tracing that methodology in detail illuminates why the results from a single small baby tooth carry the scientific weight they do.