Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
197,768 studies31 sourcesUpdated 5 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Royal Society Open Science

Ancient DNA preservation in the Caribbean

  • Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal1
  • Miren Iraeta-Orbegozo1
  • Kathrin Nägele2
  • Maria A. Nieves-Colón3,4
  • Marcela Sandoval-Velasco5
  • Dorothea Mylopotamitaki1
  • Yadira Chinique de Armas6
  • Jason E. Laffoon7
  • Zara Ali7
  • Carlos Arredondo Antúnez8
  • Robert S. Carr9
  • Patrice Courtaud10
10 more authors
  • Jane S. Day11
  • William Pestle12
  • Armando Rangel Rivero8
  • Thomas Romon10
  • William C. Schaffer13
  • Peter Siegel14
  • Anne C. Stone3
  • Carsten Wiuf15
  • Morten E. Allentoft16
  • Hannes Schroeder1,17
17 affiliations
  1. 1Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  2. 2Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
  3. 3School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
  4. 4Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
  5. 5Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Ciudad de México, Mexico
  6. 6Department of Anthropology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  7. 7Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
  8. 8Museo Antropológico Montané, Universidad de la Habana, Havana, Cuba
  9. 9Archaeological and Historical Conservancy Inc., Davie, FL, USA
  10. 10PACEA, UMR 5199 CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, Talence, France
  11. 11Research Atlantica Inc., Boca Raton, FL, USA
  12. 12Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
  13. 13Liberal Arts Department, Phoenix College, Phoenix, AZ, USA
  14. 14Department of Anthropology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA
  15. 15Department of Mathematical Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
  16. 16Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
  17. 17School of Archaeology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Read full textPDFDOICite

Abstract

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has transformed how we study human migration, species dispersals and environmental change, but poor preservation remains a major challenge. This is especially true in tropical settings, where hot and humid conditions accelerate DNA decay. Because aDNA work is destructive, knowing how long DNA survives and under what conditions is crucial for selecting samples likely to yield meaningful data while minimizing damage. Here, we analyse low-coverage shotgun data from over 300 human samples from 33 archaeological sites (3300–400 cal. BP) in the Caribbean to evaluate the effects of sample age, sample type and burial context on DNA preservation. Preservation varied markedly both between and within sites, with sample type and burial context exerting strong effects. Macroscopic inspection, though imperfect, proved a useful first line predictor of molecular preservation. Decay-rate modelling indicates that DNA decays roughly 4× faster in the Caribbean than in temperate regions and about 14× faster than in subpolar settings. Under these conditions we predict that recovery from remains significantly older than approximately 5000 years will be challenging. Encouragingly, this window encompasses most of the region's human history, indicating that much of it remains accessible to aDNA analysis, provided suitable samples can be found and appropriate excavation and post-excavation protocols are followed.

Related

  1. Chloroplast genome assembly of Thalassia testudinum from the Caribbean Sea, and its evolutionary analysis with related genera
    Abner J. Colón Colón, Gerardo Laureano Rosario, Dariel A. Vázquez Fuentes +3
    Scientific ReportsPeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0Full textMolecular biology & gene regulationCrossref
  2. Structural basis for the CsrA-dependent modulation of translation initiation by an ancient regulatory protein.
    Altegoer F, Rensing Sa, Bange G
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPeer-reviewedLicence not stated39 citedStructural biologyGeneral biologyHAL
  3. Rapid screening of ancient DNA extracts through uracil detection
    Nihan Dilşad Dağtaş, Viktória Perey-Simon, Fabrizio Mafessoni +19
    iSciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textGeneral biochemistryEvolutionary biologyCell PressCrossrefEurope PMC
  4. Revealing ancient macroH2A features through in vivo analysis in the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus
    Emmanuel Gonzalez-Sqalli, Matthieu Caron, Benjamin Loppin
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textMolecular biology & gene regulationHAL
  5. The mannose 6-phosphate receptor system is ancient, widespread in eukaryotes, and functionally diversified in the human parasite Trichomonas vaginalis
    A. P. Shinde, H. Kaur, S.-Y. Guu +7
    bioRxivPreprintCC BY-NC-NDFull textMolecular biology & gene regulationbioRxiv

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ramosmadrigal2026ancient,
  title = {{Ancient DNA preservation in the Caribbean}},
  author = {Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal and Miren Iraeta-Orbegozo and Kathrin Nägele and Maria A. Nieves-Colón and Marcela Sandoval-Velasco and Dorothea Mylopotamitaki and Yadira Chinique de Armas and Jason E. Laffoon and Zara Ali and Carlos Arredondo Antúnez and Robert S. Carr and Patrice Courtaud and Jane S. Day and William Pestle and Armando Rangel Rivero and Thomas Romon and William C. Schaffer and Peter Siegel and Anne C. Stone and Carsten Wiuf and Morten E. Allentoft and Hannes Schroeder},
  journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.1098/rsos.260217},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.260217},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Ancient DNA preservation in the Caribbean
AU  - Jazmín Ramos-Madrigal
AU  - Miren Iraeta-Orbegozo
AU  - Kathrin Nägele
AU  - Maria A. Nieves-Colón
AU  - Marcela Sandoval-Velasco
AU  - Dorothea Mylopotamitaki
AU  - Yadira Chinique de Armas
AU  - Jason E. Laffoon
AU  - Zara Ali
AU  - Carlos Arredondo Antúnez
AU  - Robert S. Carr
AU  - Patrice Courtaud
AU  - Jane S. Day
AU  - William Pestle
AU  - Armando Rangel Rivero
AU  - Thomas Romon
AU  - William C. Schaffer
AU  - Peter Siegel
AU  - Anne C. Stone
AU  - Carsten Wiuf
AU  - Morten E. Allentoft
AU  - Hannes Schroeder
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/09
JO  - Royal Society Open Science
DO  - 10.1098/rsos.260217
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.260217
AB  - Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis has transformed how we study human migration, species dispersals and environmental change, but poor preservation remains a major challenge. This is especially true in tropical settings, where hot and humid conditions accelerate DNA decay. Because aDNA work is destructive, knowing how long DNA survives and under what conditions is crucial for selecting samples likely to yield meaningful data while minimizing damage. Here, we analyse low-coverage shotgun data from over 300 human samples from 33 archaeological sites (3300–400 cal. BP) in the Caribbean to evaluate the effects of sample age, sample type and burial context on DNA preservation. Preservation varied markedly both between and within sites, with sample type and burial context exerting strong effects. Macroscopic inspection, though imperfect, proved a useful first line predictor of molecular preservation. Decay-rate modelling indicates that DNA decays roughly 4× faster in the Caribbean than in temperate regions and about 14× faster than in subpolar settings. Under these conditions we predict that recovery from remains significantly older than approximately 5000 years will be challenging. Encouragingly, this window encompasses most of the region's human history, indicating that much of it remains accessible to aDNA analysis, provided suitable samples can be found and appropriate excavation and post-excavation protocols are followed.
SN  - 2054-5703
ER  -