In The Molecule Hunt, Martin Jones traces the evolution of ancient biomolecular research from the early 1980s, when DNA fragments were first retrieved from mummies, through the advent of PCR and the use of bone, to recent studies of fats and proteins preserved on pot fragments. Over the past 15 years this research area has grown dramatically in scope and power, and Jones is well situated to record the changes, having served as chairman of the NERC Ancient Biomolecules Initiative (1991-1996) and the George Pitt-Rivers Professor of Archaeological Science at Cambridge University.
The Molecule Hunt describes the highs and lows of ancient DNA research in a detailed fashion, moving from the sublime (such as the Neandertal sequence) to the ridiculous (many candidates, but the dinosaur DNA probably wins). The portrayal reveals the many problems encountered along the way, such as the slow realisation of the extent of contamination with...
