There are many who have inspired and mentored me. First, I thank my paleontology professors, Mary Schweitzer at North Carolina State University and Gregory Erickson at Florida State University, who encouraged me to pursue paleontology and its intersections with the science of genetics. I also acknowledge Will Kimler, North Carolina State University, and Paul Brinkman, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, who introduced me to the history of science, and Sam Schmidt, who keeps me updated on the latest fossil discoveries. I am especially grateful to the History and Philosophy of Science Program at Florida State University and Fritz Davis, who advised my master’s research, which became the foundation for this book.
Next, the extensiveness of this research was made possible with funding from University College London (UCL) through three separate scholarships: a UCL Graduate Research Scholarship, a UCL Overseas Research Scholarship, and a UCL Cross-Disciplinary Training Scholarship. I am also grateful to UCL’s Department of Science and Technology Studies, the British Society for the History of Science, the History of Science Society, and the Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History for funding toward research travel to conduct interviews and deliver presentations.
I also want to acknowledge the paleontologists and geneticists in UCL’S Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment who have greatly informed and critiqued this research as it was developed. A special thanks goes to Marcela Randau Carvalho Burgess, Andrew Cuff, Thomas Halliday, Ryan Felice, Aki Watanabe, and Carla Bardua of Anjali Goswami’s Lab. Thanks also go to Mark Thomas and the Molecular and Cultural Evolution Lab, especially Zuzana Faltyskova, Anna Rudzinski, Elizabeth Gallagher, Katherine Brown, Catherine Walker, Pascale Gerbault, Lucy van Dorp, Yoan Diekmann, Adrian Timpson, Stuart Peters, and David Diez del Molino. I am further appreciative for the opportunity to work with Selina Brace, Ian Barnes, and Tom Booth from the Natural History Museum as part of the UCL Cross-Disciplinary Scholarship Training.
From UCL’s Department of Science and Technology Studies, I am thankful for the support from staff, faculty, and colleagues. Specifically, Raquel Velho, Erman Sozudogru, Oliver Marsh, Toby Friend, and Julia Sanchez-Dorado have offered valuable insights and encouragement. Further, I want to acknowledge Joe Cain, my doctoral supervisor, whose intellectual guidance was central to the development of the argument presented here.
Overall, the strength of this book rests in the fact that it was produced in partnership with scientists, especially those who helped found and further the field of ancient DNA research. I am indebted to each interviewee for giving so much of his or her time to the telling and writing of this history. A number have shared or donated documents from their research, helping me to create an archive for the future. These interviewees and their memories are priceless. I hope they see their experiences in these pages.
This book was acquired for Yale University Press by Jean Thomson Black, and I am beyond grateful for her vision and patience, and the opportunity to publish with a great team. Michael Deneen, Elizabeth Sylvia, Philip King, and Margaret Hogan have expertly guided this manuscript through the editorial process. Further, this manuscript has been much improved thanks to comments from David Sepkoski, and several anonymous reviewers.
Finally, my career as a historian of science has been possible because of my family, both the Dobsons and the Joneses, and in particular my parents, Allen and Martha, who have supported this research through its many stages. Most of all, I want to acknowledge my best friend and husband, Patrick. The path to achieving our accomplishments is never a linear or solitary journey, and I have him to thank for helping to bring this book into the world.