We can now work out how old bones are just using DNA Esben Klinker Hansen / Alamy Stock Photo

It is now possible to determine when an ancient human was alive by examining their DNA.

The new technique could reveal the ages of bones that can’t be carbon dated. “This is a huge problem in the field that is either being ignored or just solved incorrectly,” says Eran Elhaik of Lund University in Sweden.

Carbon dating is used to estimate the age of bones and other remains. It works by measuring how much of a radioactive form of carbon …