A study conducted at Paul Sabatier University found that societal shifts caused ancient hunter-gatherers to prefer male horses. The research used DNA from the remains of ancient horses to determine alterations in animal husbandry preferences. The study of DNA, starting with the human genome, has broadened to allow researchers to explore changes in various animal patterns throughout history and has expanded the scope of research in fields as varied as criminology and marine biology.
History
Ancient DNA can be stored in archaeological, paleontological, and historical exhibits, allowing scientists to examine the genome before, during, and after various historical periods and events. DNA is described as “the biomolecule that encodes the instructions to produce polypeptides and functional RNAs (ribonucleic acids)” (Tuross & Campana, 2018, p. 205). Overall, it helps to determine biological characteristics transferred from ancestors to descendants. Two scholars Watson and Crick were the first to introduce the structure of DNA, although the concept started to develop a century before that (Watson & Crick, 1953). This finding is essential for the investigation of early epigenomics as it is able to give data on evolution, nutritional state, and overall wellness of living objects throughout history. Furthermore, in 1984, Russell Higuchi and other contributors presented findings of endogenous DNA bits stored in a hundred and forty years old skin of the extinct quagga, a subspecies of zebra (Tuross & Campana, 2018). This research confirmed the durability of ancient DNA.
Moreover, Kary Mullis and his associates discovered the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the mid-1980s. Thus, the well-organized examination of this biomolecule became feasible. The utilization of PCR to answer various historical questions contributed to an outburst of ancient DNA (aDNA) studies in the 1990s (Tuross & Campana, 2018). Most of the aDNA analysis concentrated on mitochondrial DNA because of its significant copy amount per cell that helped increase PCR. Thus, its ancestral heritage made phylogenetic study simpler. However, the science continued to evolve, and in 2005 high throughput sequencing was fully developed (Tuross & Campana, 2018). These new technologies were able to present a sequence of ancient genomes in their entirety.
Current Event
DNA research has expanded to cover nearly every living organism, as well as being used to uncover more information about long-dead animals and beings. The study by Antoine Fages on ancient horses displays how DNA can be used to track changes that have been taking place in human horse-breeding preferences for nearly 4000 years (Chambers, 2020). The implications of such findings go beyond a simple understanding of what proportion of ancient horses were male or female. The study indicates a societal shift among human hunter-gatherers and allows scientists to understand better when the first selective horse breeding programs started. The findings could also allow for a better understanding of changes in the labor division among early human groups.
DNA research, in general, has become a household term and appears in many facets of life. DNA databases raise questions of cybersecurity and ethics among crime scene investigators as more, and more often, humans submit DNA for various tests and procedures (Edwards et al., 2020). On a macro level, DNA has helped scientists understand genetic differences in marine species in geographically adjacent ecosystems. A 2019 study of changes in marine species allowed for a better comprehension of the genetic map of fish on the North American West Coast (Palumbi et al., 2019). Along with expanding the data on marine biology, this study has implications in climate change research, showing that marine populations may be able to survive changes in their environment. However, the rate of adaption is still unclear (Palumbi et al., 2019). Overall, DNA research, while originating as merely the mapping of the human genome, has expanded to cover fields as wide-ranging as the biodiversity of the ocean and criminology.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Chambers’s article on the DNA of ancient horses and horse breeding is but one in a vast pool of work utilizing DNA. Since the human genome was mapped in the 1950s, understanding DNA has allowed researchers to conduct detailed studies of humans and other organisms.
References
Chambers, J. (2020). Ancient DNA reveals a Bronze Age bias for male horses. American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Edwards, L., Schafer, B., & Harbinja, E. (2020). Future Law: Emerging Technology, Regulation, and Ethics. Edinburgh University Press.
Palumbi, S. R., Evans, T. G., Pespeni, M. H., & Somero, G. N. (2019). Present and future adaptation of marine species assemblages: DNA-based insights into climate change from studies of physiology, genomics, and evolution. Oceanography 32(3): 82–93.
Tuross, N., & Campana, M. (2018). Ancient DNA. The Science of Roman History (pp. 205-223). Princeton University Press.
Watson, J. D., & Crick, F. H. (1953). Molecular structure of nucleic acids; A structure for deoxyribose nucleic acid. Nature, 171(4356), 737–738.