The Guardian's editorial highlights how recent advancements in technology have allowed researchers to challenge long-held assumptions about prehistoric religious leaders. The Upton Lovell Shaman, believed by archaeologists to be a significant metalworker and religious leader who lived around 4,000 years ago in what is now Wiltshire, was previously thought to be male based on the gender of the burial artifacts found with his body. In contrast, Olga Soffer's work as an archaeologist focused on prehistoric clothing and gender roles. While her specific contributions are not detailed in this excerpt from The New York Times Science article, it suggests that she used a different approach than traditional archaeological methods to understand ancient societies. Both sources indicate that these assumptions about the gender of prehistoric leaders were based more on cultural expectations rather than concrete evidence. The Guardian's piece emphasizes how recent DNA analysis has provided new insights into past cultures and challenged previously held beliefs.