Ancient DNA Methodology: Thoughts from Brian M. Kemp and David Glenn Smith on “Mitochondrial DNA of Protohistoric Remains of an Arikara Population from South Dakota”

Hendrik Poinar was part of the research team that reported on the DNA retrieved from the amber-embedded insects specimens.) Upon reanalysis, the dinosaur DNA was found to closely resemble that of mammals, especially humans (Allard et al. 1995; Hedges and Schweitzer 1995; Henikoff 1995; Zischler et al. 1995) and the chloroplast and insect DNA sequences, collected and analyzed in many cases under substandard conditions, failed to meet evolutionary expectations (Hebsgaard et al. 2005) and/or were not reproducible (Austin et al. 1997. [...] our expertise in the field of native American mtDNA has allowed us to properly contextualize such data, as we have done in the paper.