A closer look
Nothing screams 'authenticity' like molecular decay. When a creature dies, its DNA doesn't just sit there waiting patiently for a museum plaque; it immediately starts falling apart. Water attacks the DNA backbone, ripping amino groups off cytosine molecules and turning them into uracil. For decades, scientists thought ancient human DNA was hopelessly contaminated by modern microbes. But by hunting specifically for this predictable 'deamination' damage at the fragile ends of DNA strands, researchers finally proved they were looking at genuine Neanderthal genetics. It's the ultimate proof of life: if it isn't broken, it's a fake.
