Follow the quest to recover DNA millions of years old for the very first time.

Official Website: https://to.pbs.org/483Fzs7 | #novapbs

For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. But life’s genetic blueprint is incredibly fragile, and researchers have struggled to find DNA in fossils that could survive millions of years. Then, one maverick scientist had the controversial idea to look for DNA not in fossils or frozen ancient tissue – but in dirt. Join the hunt as scientists decipher the oldest DNA ever found, and reveal for the first time the genes of longextinct creatures that once thrived in a warm, lush Arctic.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
06:08 Challenges of Recovering Ancient DNA from Soil
22:36 Searching for Ancient Animal and Plant DNA in Greenland
37:59 Accurately Dating the Ancient DNA
43:03 How Did DNA Survive So Long?
45:23 What Was Earth Like Before the Ice Age?
48:15 Lessons Learned from the Pliocene

© 2024 WGBH Educational Foundation

All rights reserved

This program was produced by GBH, which is solely responsible for its content.

This program is made possible by viewers like you. Support your local PBS station here: https://pbs.org/donate/

Enjoy full episodes of your favorite PBS shows anytime, anywhere with the free PBS App: https://to.pbs.org/2QbtzhR

Stay up to date on the latest science discoveries, full episodes, articles, videos, and more by signing up for NOVA's newsletter here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/newslet...

FOLLOW US:

NOVA
YouTube:    / novaonline  
Facebook:   / novapbs   ​
X:   / novapbs   ​
Instagram:   / novapbs  
TikTok:   / novapbs  

PBS
Facebook:   / pbs  
X:   / pbs  
Instagram:   / pbs  
YouTube:    / pbs  
TikTok:   / pbs  

Shop: https://shop.pbs.org/

When was the ice age, oldest dna, ancient dna, extinct animals, paleontology, pliocene, eske willerslev, dna sequencing