Geneticist Mark Stoneking discusses a special type of genetic material called mitochondrial DNA gets passed directly from mother to child. Largely unchanged from generation to generation, this genetic material gives researchers a way to track populations back in time.
Anthropologist Tanya Smith explains that invisible microstructure inside teeth creates a durable record of life history, including events such as birth, illness, famine, stress, and death.
Anthropologist Jean-Jacques Hublin explains that unlike teeth, bones undergo a lifelong process called remodeling, in which they are constantly being destroyed and recreated.
Anthropologist Philipp Gunz explains the process of virtual fossil reconstruction, a technique that can reverse the damage done to fossils by time and the elements.
Evolutionary geneticist Svante Pääbo explains that analysis of ancient Neanderthal DNA is very tricky work, thanks to fragmentation and contamination of genetic material.
