FAQ: FOUND Bones, them bones! AE's or Turtle Bones?

[Bruce Thomas]

Taken from the Nikumaroro-Wikipedia Page

A phalanx bone found at the site and examined by forensic anthropologist Karen Ramey Burns has been examined by Dr. Cecil Lewis at the Molecular Anthropology Laboratories at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma, USA. DNA tests on the bone fragment proved inconclusive for testing as to whether it is turtle or human.

Is this right or is it still being looked at?

It's right.  My reading of the report from the laboratory, dated March 1, 2011, indicates (at least until more advanced procedures are available) that there's not enough of the bone material remaining to subject to any more present-day scientific testing.

[Ric Gillespie]

(at least until more advanced procedures are available) that there's not enough of the bone material remaining to subject to any more present-day scientific testing.

That's correct.

[Rey Jude Barte Albarando]

I might need to do some research about DNA testing, but what puzzles me is, how is it possible that we "can't have enough material to test DNA" from a bone about an inch long, and yet hope to get some DNA from objects "touched" by a person! Isn't there an obvious contradiction? Just asking! :)

[Ric Gillespie]

I might need to do some research about DNA testing, but what puzzles me is, how is it possible that we "can't have enough material to test DNA" from a bone about an inch long, and yet hope to get some DNA from objects "touched" by a person! Isn't there an obvious contradiction? Just asking! :)

It's a fair question and the answer is that it's not reasonable to expect to get "ancient DNA" from touched objects.  The advice we had on that subject prior to last year's expeditions was, shall we say, overly optimistic.