Remains: The collision of science and America’s Indigenous people
A Danish scientist’s search for the earliest DNA in the United States uncovers profound ethical and personal dilemmas.
The DNA of ancient human remains in the United States may hold the answers to some of the most hotly debated questions in North American history. Danish professor Eske Willerslev has spent more than 10 years travelling around the US to study DNA data and what it can tell us about early humans. His encounters with Indigenous tribes, who are today fighting to have the remains of their ancestors reburied, forces Willerslev to reconsider his own position and possible biases in his interpretation of the ambiguous data. His objective ideals as a scientist are put to the test as he is confronted with ethical and personal dilemmas. Remains is a documentary film by Linus Mork.