ABSTRACT
Ancient DNA work requires much care and patience, and, because of the necessity of multiple independent analyses, it is often expensive. As a result, the questions asked and the probability of actually getting sufficient data to answer the questions posed should be carefully evaluated before undertaking an ancient DNA research project. Two main protocols have been used to extract DNA from ancient or degraded remains. The first is a proteinase K digestion followed by a phenol/chloroform extraction.1,2 The second primary technique is the silica/guanidine thiocyanate technique3,4 which will be discussed in detail here.
