Scientists fail to extract fossil DNA

Jurassic Park has been re-consigned to the fantasy world by research casting doubt on scientific claims to have isolated ancient genetic material from fossils. Scientists at the Natural History Museum, London, attempting to reproduce past results, failed to extract DNA from 15 bees and flies preserved in amber, including the stingless bee reputed to be the first ancient DNA donor, and suggest previous positive results may reflect sample contamination. Amber's ability to preserve organisms almost perfectly makes it the most likely source of ancient DNA.