petrous

Researchers targeted DNA stored in the petrous, a very dense bone that envelopes the inner ear.

The researchers located ancient DNA in their petrous bones—dense inner ear bones that preserve genetic material particularly well—but only managed to successfully retrieve a complete genome from the man.

In recent years, however, scientists have learned that the petrous bone of the inner ear contains an unusually high quantity of DNA, allowing them to locate usable genetic material even in otherwise degraded skeletons.

Some laboratories have used microCT scanning, both to preserve data from petrous bone, and to guide their drilling to minimize destruction of the specimen11.

Researchers used the teeth and petrous bones of the remains to analyze their DNA.