A trunkload of ancient RNA.

Calvignac-Spencer, Sébastien; Lalueza-Fox, Carles · Cell · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Ancient DNA has become a workhorse for evolutionary biologists. In contrast, ancient RNA studies have been rare and often methodologically controversial. Mármol-Sánchez et al. provide compelling evidence that aRNA survived up to ca. 50,000 years in permafrost-preserved mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) soft tissues. Will this finally pave the way for paleotranscriptomics?

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