Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA

@article{Pbo1985MolecularCO,
  title={Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA},
  author={S. P{\"a}{\"a}bo},
  journal={Nature},
  year={1985},
  volume={314},
  pages={644-645}
}
Artificial mummification was practised in Egypt from ∼ 2600 BC until the fourth century AD. Because of the dry Egyptian climate, however, there are also many natural mummies preserved from earlier as well as later times. To elucidate whether this unique source of ancient human remains can be used for molecular genetic analyses, 23 mummies were investigated for DNA content. One 2,400-yr-old mummy of a child was found to contain DNA that could be molecularly cloned in a plasmid vector. I report… Expand
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497 Citations
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