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October 24, 2003

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES and RICH SONES, Ph.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. From Jim H. of Honolulu: "I frequently hear of familial research that depends on DNA analysis of a line of deceased individuals. Sometimes this comes to a dead end because the deceased in question was cremated. I plan to be cremated and would like to include a vial of intact material in the urn of ashes. What body part with significant DNA lasts the longest without cryogenic preservation? Hair? Bone? Teeth? And how should the sample be preserved?"

    A. There is some evidence that DNA is not completely destroyed in bones exposed to a moderate amount of burning, says University of California-Santa Barbara anthropologist Phillip Walker. However, it is very unlikely that intact DNA could be recovered from the remains of someone cremated using the techniques employed by modern crematoria. Although empirical data are scarce, most DNA analysts believe that the dentin of the teeth, especially that of the molars, preserves DNA better than other tissues.


     
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