10-01-2022, 05:53 PM
In theory you are correct but keep in mind that at least in Europe we are fortunate to have something called data protection laws. Luckily we are not yet at the point where we have publicly available DNA profiles of the majority of the population.
But of course this may be used to exclude some sequences, especially if they are modern contamination form US citizens. You'd still have a very high chance of false negatives that are relatively modern even without any close database matches.
As with the vellum it might be useful to create a reference database from late medieval graveyards in different places of middle Europe.
Another approach would be excluding sequences by outstanding quality without expected degradation as Michelle has shown, or looking at DNA quantity across the entire VM assuming a scribe would leave a different amount of DNA in certain places than a reader.
In any case the results are likely to remain highly speculative compared to animal DNA from vellum.
But of course this may be used to exclude some sequences, especially if they are modern contamination form US citizens. You'd still have a very high chance of false negatives that are relatively modern even without any close database matches.
As with the vellum it might be useful to create a reference database from late medieval graveyards in different places of middle Europe.
Another approach would be excluding sequences by outstanding quality without expected degradation as Michelle has shown, or looking at DNA quantity across the entire VM assuming a scribe would leave a different amount of DNA in certain places than a reader.
In any case the results are likely to remain highly speculative compared to animal DNA from vellum.