ANCIENT LIFE
DNA sequencing has revolutionized the study of ancient organisms, but genetic material deteriorates relatively quickly—the oldest DNA sequenced so far is about 1.2 million years old. Proteins survive longer than DNA molecules, and paleoproteomics has been gaining steam as a technique to help place extinct species in the tree of life. The coming year could be an important one for a research tool that recently helped illuminate the evolutionary history of a 23-million-year-old relative of the rhinoceros.
The sciences of our ancient world—paleontology and archaeology—as well as ecology and anthropology are undergoing a massive reckoning around the role of colonialism in scientific exploration. For one, racist species names are on notice. For another, a new generation of scientists is fighting against extractive practices that take specimens from developing nations to the Western world without consideration of local knowledge or without any benefit to the communities from which the items were taken.
This article was originally published with the title “What Science May Bring in 2023” in Scientific American 328, 1, 8 (January 2023)
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0123-8
