“ Contrary to what many people think, it’s not all about recreating Jurassic Park!”, so said one of the opening speakers at the session Palaeogenomics and Ancient DNA at the SEB 2017 Annual Meeting in Gothenburg. Nevertheless, ancient DNA is proving to be the master key for unlocking a whole host of mysteries,including human migrations, the spread of disease, the disappearance of mammoths and the environmental effects of past climate change. Crucially, lessons from the past may even help us adapt to the rapidly changing world for the future.