Re: DNA

[Bill Owens <bowens@uidaho.edu>]

Yes!  An example of how modern contaminants can influence dating:  In 
1954, the University of California Anthropology Department under the 
direction of Dr. Robert Heizer was excavating a 2000+ year old shell 
mound on the San Francisco Bay.  A sample was sent to the University of 
Chicago to be carbon dated.  The report came back with a carbon date of 
1990, I forget what the year range on both sides of that date was.  
Anyway, the anthro team finally figured out that the sent specimen had been 
contaminated with cigarette ash.

Wild Bill Owens        \_/
Geography             /. .\   There is no friend like a canis! 
University of Idaho   \ - /        
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On Mon, 26 Jun 1995, John Bauer wrote:

> 
> I read an article in the sunday paper reprinted from the New York Times. It 
> concerned scientists who thought they had discovered traces of dino DNA on 
> bones they had dug up. As it turned out, the DNA was actually human. Is it 
> possible to transfer human DNA simply by handling an object like a fossil?
> 
> john
>