Author : Manoj Kumar, Birbal Singh and Sudarshan Reddy Varikuti

For the past two centuries, paleontologists and archeologists have collected remains of human, animal, and plant life from a more or less distant past. Molecular paleontology entailing recovery and analysis of bio-molecules such as nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and their derivatives from extinct plants or animals, and has become is integral to question within the sphere of paleontology. The studies have provided important insights into evolutionary events, and their extinction of microorganisms, animals or plant species remains. By applying high throughput molecular analytical techniques to DNA fossils, it is possible to quantify the level of relatedness between the organisms serving as source of nucleic acids. This article provides an overview of the recent molecular biological approaches used in paleontology.

Keywords: Paleontology, molecular biology, extinction, nucleic acid