|Question 8Verbal

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Michael G. Campana and colleagues relied on historical DNA (hDNA)—genomic data incidentally preserved in specimens housed in natural history collections—to investigate the evolutionary origins of a fungal pathogen affecting bats. Although this approach offers unique benefits, such as access to genomic data from extirpated populations, it remains a relatively underutilized resource because hDNA is often to some extent degraded, a situation not easily remediable under current methodological paradigms and with extant DNA extraction and analysis technologies.
Information in the text best supports which statement about hDNA?
It may yield insights that other types of genomic data cannot.
A
It has thus far proved valuable mainly to researchers studying pathogens.
B
It may be underused because of its controversial status among scientists.
C
It tends to be much more degraded than other types of DNA of comparable age.
D