In 1993, scientists cracked open a piece of amber, took out the body of an ancient weevil, and sampled its DNA. Or, at least, so we thought. It took another few decades of research, and a lot of take-backs, before scientists could figure out how we could truly unlock the genetic secrets of the past.

Originally released by Knowledgemotion, 2018. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on February 21, 2020.

Can We Get DNA From Fossils? (11:47); .