Ancient penguin DNA raises doubts about accuracy of genetic dating

11-10-09

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Penguins that died 44,000 years ago in Antarctica have provided extraordinary frozen DNA samples that challenge the accuracy of traditional genetic aging measurements, and suggest those approaches have been routinely underestimating the age of many specimens by 200 to 600 percent.

In other words, a biological specimen determined by traditional DNA testing to be 100,000 years old may actually be 200,000 to 600,000 years old, researchers suggest in a new report in Trends in Genetics, a professional journal.

The findings raise doubts about the accuracy of many evolutionary rates based on conventional types of genetic analysis.

“Some earlier work based on small amounts of DNA indicated this same problem, but now we have more conclusive evidence based on the study of almost an entire mitochondrial genome,” said Dee Denver, an evolutionary biologist with the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing at Oregon State University.

oregonstate.edu...

A group of Adelie penguins strolls across the Antarctic snow.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/9795f827ddc8.jpg[/atsimg]

Seems everytime we think they know what they are doing something comes up to prove them wrong.

Seems everytime we think they know what they are doing something comes up to prove them wrong.

Does it prove them wrong or does it improve the accuracy so that things are "less wrong" in future investigation?

If they admit the "mistake" and improve the methods it most likely means they are doing things scientifically.

reply to post by EnlightenUp


You are absolutely right EnlightenUp, you said it much better than I did, it is good that they have discovered this, science at it's best.

reply to post by Aquarius1


Here is the mentioned study for the technical minded.

Abstract

Fulltext PDF

reply to post by EnlightenUp


Bingo. Unfortunately the usual suspects will stop at "wrong" and never glance at "improved".