Historical DNA (hDNA), obtained from museum and herbarium specimens, has yielded
spectacular new insights into the history of organisms. This includes documenting historical …

Following the discovery in the late 1980s that hard tissues such as bones and teeth preserve
genetic information, the field of ancient DNA analysis has typically concentrated upon these …

Background Kiwi, comprising five species from the genus Apteryx, are endangered, ground-
dwelling bird species endemic to New Zealand. They are the smallest and only nocturnal …

The pre-human Aotearoa New Zealand fauna was dominated by avian and reptilian
species. Prior to first human settlement by East Polynesian colonists, the top predators were …

The ability to use DNA evidence is revolutionizing our understanding of the past. This book
introduces archaeologists to the basics of DNA research so they can understand the powers …

Quaternary climate oscillations and complex topography have tremendous effects on current
distribution and genetic structure of species, and hence the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) …

In medieval archaeology there are long traditions for studying foreign, exotic material culture
as proxy for procurement networks of international reach. A paradox is that domestic …

Ancient DNA (aDNA) has the ability to inform the evolutionary history of both extant and
extinct taxa; however, the use of aDNA in the study of avian evolution is lacking in …

Museum collections are increasingly subjected to scientific scrutiny, including molecular,
isotopic and trace‐element analyses. Recent advances have extended analyses from …

Background There is no consensus as to the origin of the domestic yak (Bos grunniens).
Previous studies on yak mitochondria mainly focused on mitochondrial displacement loop …