Eggshell of extinct giant bird unlocks key to ancient DNA

Ancient DNA from the fossil eggshell remains of the extinct elephant bird, has been successfully extracted thanks to help from a University of Sheffield expert - marking a world-first for archaeology and genetics. Professor Mike Parker Pearson, from the University´s Department of Archaeology, discovered the eggshells whilst researching in Madagascar. An international team of researchers has now discovered that ancient DNA is well-preserved in the eggshells of the now extinct elephant bird (Aepyornis) of Madagascar, which – at half a ton – is the heaviest bird to have ever existed. Their findings, published this week (Wednesday 10 March 2010) in the leading scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, describe how an eggshell up to 19,000 years old is an excellent source of ancient DNA, especially in warmer climates such as Madagascar and Australia. The eggshell samples were collected by Professor Parker Pearson´s research team who have been investigating the extinction of this giant bird. Scouring the coastal dunes of southern Madagascar, they found many of the bird's nesting sites and some of the human settlements where the giant eggs were re-used as containers for liquids. They have radiocarbon dated the fossil eggshells whose chemical composition can also be used to shed light on past environments.