Historically, hair has had a magical and almost cultic importance in human history and was, for instance, believed to be a source of power.
Now hair is also the source of answers to a number of questions. The new DNA-method will give us more precise information about why the mammoth died out, or what the ingredients are in the cocktail of human races that are mixed in Europe and elsewhere. And in the future, it may be an improved tool for the police and in forensics to solve crimes.
"So far you would have to drill in old bones if you wanted to compare the genetic imprint of mammoths to that of elephants, or if you wanted to see how they coped during the ice-age before they died out. Usually, the problem is that the remaining DNA samples have been scarce, and that they have been "polluted" by bacteria. But DNA from hair is very clean because it has been encapsulated in keratin, a kind of plastic membrane that protects the hair and the DNA. Think about all the extinct furred animals that are displayed on museums around the world. There is a lot of work waiting for us" says Thomas Gilbert.
The centre of research has been the mitochondria. A mitochondrion is a kind of power plant in the cell, and it is very suitable for use in comparable DNA-studies of both mammals and humans.
Professor Eske Willerslev, who is an expert in DNA-traces in sediments and organisms and who recently found the worlds oldest living bacteria, is enthusiastic about the new method.
"It is not only interesting in relation to the past, but also to the present in e.g. forensics. But some development is needed yet for the method to be 100 per cent usable in that context. As it is, it takes a certain amount of hair to reach a conclusion. And you don't always find that amount of hair in a crime-scene. But it is only a question of time and refinement. A further advantage is that the method can be combined with a very fast modern sequencing-machine and therefore give us answers overnight, whereas now we often have to wait for a long time to get the result of a DNA-test" says Eske Willerslev.
Thomas Gilbert has worked together with colleagues from a number of universities and research institutions in e.g. USA Russia, Belgium, France and Sweden on developing the method.
據2007年9月28日發布的醫藥研究新聞稱：
從頭髮中提煉的新DNA法將告訴我們更多的珍貴信息。
比如為何猛獁象滅絕或者雞尾酒是由哪些成分混合在一起的。並且在將來，頭髮將可能改良成對犯罪現場進行取證的工具，成為***破案的法寶。
到目前為止，如果你想要比較猛獁象和大象的基因印記或者如果你想知道在猛獁象滅絕前的冰河世紀基因是如何復制的話你將只能鑽研於古老的骨骼上。
通常，問題是已經是稀有的剩餘DNA樣本也已經被細菌“污染”了。
但從頭髮提取的DNA就非常乾淨，因為它有角蛋白包裹，可以起到保護頭髮和DNA的工作。
這種新方法不光是對過去的事物有用，對目前也有應用價值，比如取證。雖然需要一定量的頭髮才能得出結論。
在犯罪現場你不一定總能找到夠量的頭髮。但是這僅僅是個時間和提煉的過程。相信將來可以在更短的時間內獲得DNA檢測的結果，將大大提高***破案的效率。
目前開發這種新方法的工作正在緊鑼密鼓的展開
從頭髮中提煉的新DNA法將告訴我們更多的珍貴信息。
比如為何猛獁象滅絕或者雞尾酒是由哪些成分混合在一起的。並且在將來，頭髮將可能改良成對犯罪現場進行取證的工具，成為***破案的法寶。
到目前為止，如果你想要比較猛獁象和大象的基因印記或者如果你想知道在猛獁象滅絕前的冰河世紀基因是如何復制的話你將只能鑽研於古老的骨骼上。
通常，問題是已經是稀有的剩餘DNA樣本也已經被細菌“污染”了。
但從頭髮提取的DNA就非常乾淨，因為它有角蛋白包裹，可以起到保護頭髮和DNA的工作。
這種新方法不光是對過去的事物有用，對目前也有應用價值，比如取證。雖然需要一定量的頭髮才能得出結論。
在犯罪現場你不一定總能找到夠量的頭髮。但是這僅僅是個時間和提煉的過程。相信將來可以在更短的時間內獲得DNA檢測的結果，將大大提高***破案的效率。
目前開發這種新方法的工作正在緊鑼密鼓的展開
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