The question is whether anyone with access to the relevant remains will allow the testing to proceed.

DNA Testing: The Science Behind The Possibility

The prospect of DNA testing in this case deserves careful explanation, because the promise of such testing is real but also limited in specific ways.

Ancient DNA analysis — the extraction and sequencing of genetic material from old biological samples — has advanced dramatically in the twenty-first century.

Samples that would have yielded nothing useful to 1990s-era laboratory techniques can now produce readable genetic information.

The key factors are the condition of the sample (cold, dry conditions preserve DNA best), the type of material (tooth enamel and dense bone preserve DNA better than soft tissue), and the sophistication of the laboratory work.