The untold story of the rise of the new scientific field of ancient DNA
research, and how Jurassic Park and popular media influenced its development
Ancient DNA research—the recovery of genetic material from long-dead
organisms—is a discipline that developed from science fiction into a reality
between the 1980s and today. Drawing on scientific, historical, and archival
material, as well as original interviews with more than fifty researchers
worldwide, Elizabeth Jones explores the field's formation and explains its
relationship with the media by examining its close connection to de-extinction,
the science, and technology of resurrecting extinct species. She reveals how the
search for DNA from fossils flourished under the influence of intense press and
public interest, particularly as this new line of research coincided with the
book and movie Jurassic Park. Ancient DNA is the first account to trace the
historical and sociological interplay between science and celebrity in the rise
of this new research field. In the process, Jones argues that ancient DNA
research is more than a public-facing science: it is a celebrity science.