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Hunt for the Oldest DNA

Film following a team of scientists in their dramatic quest to recover DNA that is millions of years old and reveal a lost world from before the last Ice Age.

For decades, scientists have tried to unlock the secrets of ancient DNA. But life’s genetic blueprint is incredibly fragile, and researchers have struggled to find genetic material in fossils that has survived for millions of years. Then, one maverick scientist had the controversial idea of looking for DNA not in fossils or frozen ancient tissue – but in the soil.

This film follows the scientists deciphering the oldest DNA ever found and revealing for the first time the genes of long-extinct creatures that once thrived in warm, lush Arctic landscapes.

Available now

59 minutes

Last on

Last Wednesday 21:00

Credits

Role Contributor
Writer Niobe Thompson
Director Niobe Thompson
Producer Sandra Tober
Producer Ally Barry
Executive Producer Niobe Thompson
Executive Producer John Rubin
Executive Producer Sean B Carroll
Composer Jonathan Kawchuk
Production Company Handful of Films
Production Company HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

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