Lost Kings: DNA Fails to Illuminate Royal Mystery

A skeleton buried under a parking lot. A grotesque mummy head. A gourd encrusted with mysterious blood.

These three disturbing objects have something in common: All have been identified as belonging to long-dead kings, in part using DNA evidence. But despite DNA's reputation as a forensic smoking gun, only one — the skeleton — has escaped serious controversy.

The skeleton, widely accepted as the earthly remains of the English King Richard III, is a bright spot in the often-murky world of ancient DNA identification. Archaeologists identified the body based on multiple lines of evidence, from historical records to telltale battle wounds. On top of it all, the skeleton's DNA matched a living relative of the king's. Read more...