Science Faculty

WALKING INTO THE PAST: A survey of ancient DNA studies

Organized by

Departamento de Biología

Speaker

Arne Ludwig. Liebniz Institut for Zoo and Wildlife Research & Humboldt University

Date

28-03-2019

Time

12:30

Place

Salón de Grados del Edificio de Biología de la UAM

Observations

Arne Ludwig. Liebniz Institut for Zoo and Wildlife

Research &  Humboldt University, Berlin (Germany)

WALKING INTO THE PAST: A survey of ancient DNA studies

 

Resumen: In 2014 the 30th anniversary of ancient DNA (aDNA) research was celebrated in meetings and special issues publications worldwide. Considering these three decades, it is thus a good time both to highlight the striking transformations the field has undergone over the past 30 years, and to look forward to the future. Ancient DNA research started with a huge mistake; the first ever published aDNA sequence from an ancient Egyptian Mummy was a contamination of modern DNA. But this artifact founded the whole area of ancient DNA research which has been produced manifold insights into human history and evolution so far. The first reliable starting point of aDNA research was a short mitochondrial DNA fragment of 229 bp length from the quagga (Equus quagga quagga, an extinct, stripeless sub‐species of plain zebra). With the introduction of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) around 1990, it became possible to target and replicate specific DNA sequences. Ancient DNA sequences obtained via PCR have allowed comprehensive phylogenetic studies and population genetics of both extinct and extant species, as well as functional studies of extinct genes and various aspects of domestication. However, in some fields PCR‐based studies remained controversial, such as aDNA studies on human pathogens. Furthermore, complete nuclear palaeogenomes were out of reach for any PCR‐based approaches. Almost all of these limitations have been overcome with the development of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies that allow billions of sequences to be analyzed simultaneously.

28 de marzo (jueves) a las 12:30 horas en el Salón de Grados del Edificio de Biología de la UAM (C/Darwin Nº 2).