Has anyone actually recovered DNA from amber?

Short fragments have been claimed, but the most famous papers (Cano 1992, Poinar 1993) have not been reproduced. When other labs tried to replicate the results, they consistently found that the recovered DNA matched modern contaminants, usually researchers' own DNA or common lab organisms. The current scientific consensus is that intact ancient DNA cannot be reliably recovered from amber inclusions.

Why does DNA degrade?

DNA is a long, fragile molecule held together by chemical bonds that slowly break down even in ideal preservation conditions. Water, oxygen, radiation, and naturally occurring enzymes called nucleases all attack DNA over time. The half-life of DNA in a fossil setting is estimated at 521 years for fragments, meaning DNA breaks down to undetectable levels in about 6.8 million years.

What's the oldest verified DNA ever recovered?

Around 1-2 million years from permafrost-preserved mammoth and other Arctic mammal specimens. The cold and absence of oxygen in permafrost are far better DNA preservation conditions than amber. Even there, the recovered DNA is heavily fragmented.

Could we ever clone an extinct species?

For species that went extinct recently (under 100,000 years), possibly, the mammoth project being the most serious effort. For dinosaurs (extinct 66 million years), no. The DNA is gone. The closest path to a 'dinosaur-like' animal is reverse genetic engineering of bird embryos to express ancestral traits, which is being attempted but only at the level of small features like teeth.

What does amber actually preserve, then?

External anatomy, soft tissue impressions, occasional pigment patterns, scale and feather structures, and sometimes proteins like collagen. These are still scientifically valuable, paleontologists have learned an enormous amount from amber inclusions even without intact DNA.

Why amber preserves DNA (and what Jurassic Park got wrong)