Title: What ancient and modern DNA tells us about our human past?
Presenter: Dr. Stephan Schiffels from Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Date: December 12, 2018
Language: English
Abstract: Our human past leaves traces in our genomes, via population size changes, admixture events and migration patterns. Via genetic analyses, we can therefore read human history from our genomes, which adds critically to our growing body of pre-historical evidence from archaeology and linguistics. In this talk, I will introduce the field of historical population genetics, and showcase three examples: First, I will show how our genomes contain information about the origins of our species in Africa, in the deep past. Second, I will demonstrate how we can use ancient DNA from Anglo-Saxon remains in Great Britain to investigate the nature and consequences of the Anglo-Saxon migration period. Third, I will introduce our most recent project, in which we use ancient and modern DNA to investigate the peopling of North America.
