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You are correct. John’s hoodie was wet. A perfect environment for microbial growth, chemical hydrolysis, and enzymatic activity. Furthermore, the drying in open air on butcher paper allows UV light exposure, possibly fluctuating temp/hymidity, and ongoing microbial activity. By the time the swabs were taken it is possible that the original cellular material was contaminated or degraded. It’s a textbook case on how NOT to handle biological evidence, IMOJMO, but a hoodie and a fossil are very different things.
Edit: changed ‘sweater’ to ‘hoodie’ for clarity