Nhận biết (M1)

David Diez del Molino and colleagues relied on historical DNA (hDNA)—genomic data incidentally preserved in specimens housed in natural history collections—to investigate genetic diversity declines in the Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). Although this approach offers unique benefits, such as access to genomic data from extinct species, it remains a relatively underutilized resource because archival specimens are sometimes stored in ways that compromise DNA quality, a situation not easily remediable under current methodological paradigms and with extant DNA extraction and analysis technologies.

What does the text most strongly suggest about specimens from natural history collections?

• A.

  While they may contain valuable genomic data, not all of them can yield usable hDNA.

• B.

  They are primarily used as sources of genomic data by scientists studying organisms that have undergone major evolutionary change.

• C.

  Because of their often-deteriorated condition, they tend to yield genomic data that are time-consuming to extract and interpret.

• D.

  While they were used in a study that made an important scientific discovery, they are generally of marginal value as sources of genomic data.