Division of Biological Anthropology, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge, The Henry Wellcome Building, Fitzwilliam Street, Cambridge CB2 1QH, UK.
Gene. 2013 Oct 1;528(1):27-32. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2013.06.011. Epub 2013 Jun 18.
The development of molecular tools for the extraction, analysis and interpretation of DNA from the remains of ancient organisms (paleogenetics) has revolutionised a range of disciplines as diverse as the fields of human evolution, bioarchaeology, epidemiology, microbiology, taxonomy and population genetics. The paper draws attention to some of the challenges associated with the extraction and interpretation of ancient DNA from archaeological material, and then reviews the influence of paleogenetics on the field of human evolution. It discusses the main contributions of molecular studies to reconstructing the evolutionary and phylogenetic relationships between extinct hominins (human ancestors) and anatomically modern humans. It also explores the evidence for evolutionary changes in the genetic structure of anatomically modern humans in recent millennia. This breadth of research has led to discoveries that would never have been possible using traditional approaches to human evolution.
分子工具的发展，用于从古代生物遗骸（古遗传学）中提取、分析和解释 DNA，已经彻底改变了一系列学科，包括人类进化、生物考古学、流行病学、微生物学、分类学和群体遗传学等领域。本文提请注意从考古材料中提取和解释古代 DNA 所涉及的一些挑战，然后回顾古遗传学对人类进化领域的影响。它讨论了分子研究对重建已灭绝的原始人类（人类祖先）和解剖学上的现代人之间的进化和系统发育关系的主要贡献。它还探讨了近几千年来解剖学上的现代人在遗传结构上发生进化变化的证据。这种广泛的研究带来了一些发现，这些发现如果仅使用传统的人类进化方法是不可能实现的。
