Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD)

Welcome to the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD for short).

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Ancient DNA offers a method of directly exploring a population from the past. Extracting DNA from a wide range of historic and ancient samples grants us access to their archaeological, forensic, environmental and zoological histories. These samples, sourced from museums and the field, can be anything from soil to bone, moss to feathers. The DNA can be bacterial, fungal, plant or animal. At ACAD, we also actively develop and use environmental DNA and bioinformatics techniques, which, alongside our ancient work, offers our skilled researchers a broad range of methods to gain unique cross-disciplinary insights.