DNA recovered from ancient bones is best described by which term?

DNA recovered from ancient bones is best described by which term?

• A. Structural genes
• B. Regulatory genes
• C. Genome
• D. Ancient DNA

Answer: (D)

DNA recovered from ancient bones is best described as ancient DNA. This label signals both the age of the material and its typical state, since ancient DNA is usually highly degraded, fragmented, and chemically damaged by time. Those features distinguish it from DNA in living organisms. Structural genes and regulatory genes refer to functional categories inside a genome—parts that code for proteins or control how genes are expressed—not to the origin or condition of the DNA itself, so they aren’t the right descriptor for material that comes from long-dead remains. Calling it a genome would imply you have the complete set of genetic material, which isn’t the case with ancient samples that yield only fragments or partial subsets of the genome. In practice, ancient DNA studies must account for damage patterns and the risk of contamination, which reinforces why the terminology emphasizes its ancient origin.

DNA recovered from ancient bones is best described as ancient DNA. This label signals both the age of the material and its typical state, since ancient DNA is usually highly degraded, fragmented, and chemically damaged by time. Those features distinguish it from DNA in living organisms. Structural genes and regulatory genes refer to functional categories inside a genome—parts that code for proteins or control how genes are expressed—not to the origin or condition of the DNA itself, so they aren’t the right descriptor for material that comes from long-dead remains. Calling it a genome would imply you have the complete set of genetic material, which isn’t the case with ancient samples that yield only fragments or partial subsets of the genome. In practice, ancient DNA studies must account for damage patterns and the risk of contamination, which reinforces why the terminology emphasizes its ancient origin.