A5029594049- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Forensic and Genetic Research
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies
- Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
- Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease
- Forensic Fingerprint Detection Methods
- Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Race, Genetics, and Society
University of California, Berkeley
2023-2025
University of Copenhagen
2025
San Francisco State University
2023-2025
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
2021-2024
RTI International
2024
Conference Board
2024
Institute of Forensic Science
2024
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
2024
National Institute of Justice
2024
National Institute of Standards
2024
The value of dirty DNA Environmental can identify the presence species, even from distant past. Surveying three cave sites in western Europe and southern Siberia, Vernot et al. identified nuclear confirmed that it is close relatives anatomically modern humans—Neanderthal Denisovan individuals. A phylogenetic analysis modeling show sediment samples several layers corresponds to previously studied skeletal remains. These results demonstrate environmental data be applied study population...
Denisova Cave in southern Siberia is the type locality of Denisovans, an archaic hominin group who were related to Neanderthals1-4. The dozen remains recovered from deposits also include Neanderthals5,6 and child a Neanderthal Denisovan7, which suggests that was contact zone between these hominins. However, uncertainties persist about order groups appeared at site, timing environmental context occupation, association particular with archaeological assemblages5,8-11. Here we report analysis...
Abstract Genomic analyses of Neanderthals have previously provided insights into their population history and relationship to modern humans 1–8 , but the social organization Neanderthal communities remains poorly understood. Here we present genetic data for 13 from two Middle Palaeolithic sites in Altai Mountains southern Siberia: 11 Chagyrskaya Cave 9,10 2 Okladnikov —making this one largest studies a date. We used hybridization capture obtain genome-wide nuclear data, as well mitochondrial...
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe is associated with the regional disappearance of Neanderthals and spread Homo sapiens. Late persisted western several millennia after occurrence H. sapiens eastern
Abstract Artefacts made from stones, bones and teeth are fundamental to our understanding of human subsistence strategies, behaviour culture in the Pleistocene. Although these resources plentiful, it is impossible associate artefacts specific individuals 1 who can be morphologically or genetically characterized, unless they found within burials, which rare this time period. Thus, ability discern societal roles Pleistocene based on their biological sex genetic ancestry limited 2–5 . Here we...
The integration of massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology into forensic casework has been particular benefit to the identification unknown military service members. However, highly degraded or chemically treated skeletal remains often fail provide usable DNA profiles, even with sensitive mitochondrial (mt) capture and MPS methods. In parallel, ancient field developed workflows specifically for DNA, resulting in successful recovery nuclear mtDNA from as well sediment over 100,000...
Recent excavations at Ranis (Germany) identified an early dispersal of Homo sapiens into the higher latitudes Europe by 45,000 years ago. Here we integrate results from zooarchaeology, palaeoproteomics, sediment DNA and stable isotopes to characterize ecology, subsistence diet these H. sapiens. We assessed all bone remains (n = 1,754) 2016-2022 through morphology 1,218) or palaeoproteomics (zooarchaeology mass spectrometry 536) species proteome investigation 212)). Dominant taxa include...
The spread of Homo sapiens into new habitats across Eurasia ~45,000 years ago and the concurrent disappearance Neanderthals represents a critical evolutionary turnover in our species' history. 'Transitional' technocomplexes, such as Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ), characterize European record during this period but their makers significance have long remained unclear. New evidence from Ilsenhöhle Ranis, Germany, now provides secure connection LRJ to H. remains dated ago, making it...
Sediment DNA--the ability to extract DNA from archaeological sediments-- is an exciting new frontier in ancient research, offering the potential study individuals at a given site without destructive sampling. In recent years, several studies have demonstrated promise of this approach by recovering hominin prehistoric sediments, including those dating back Middle or Late Pleistocene. However, lack open-source workflows for analysis sediment samples poses challenge data processing and...
The use of hybridization capture has enabled a massive upscaling in sample sizes for ancient DNA studies, allowing the analysis hundreds skeletal remains or sediments single studies. Nevertheless, demands throughput continue to grow, and become limiting step preparation due large consumption reagents, consumables time. Here, we explored possibility improving economics via multiplex capture, that is, pools double-indexed libraries. We demonstrate this strategy is feasible, at least small...
Abstract Advancements in sequencing and laboratory technologies have enabled forensic genetic analysis on increasingly low quality degraded DNA samples. However, existing computational methods applied to genotyping imputation for generating profiles from not been tested applications. Here we simulated data of varying qualities– coverage, fragment lengths, deamination patterns–from forty individuals diverse ancestries. We used this dataset test the performance commonly genotype (SAMtools,...
Abstract Genomic analyses of Neanderthals have previously provided insights into their population history and relationship to modern humans 1–8 , but the social organization Neanderthal communities remains poorly understood. Here, we present genetic data for 13 from two Middle Palaeolithic sites in Altai Mountains southern Siberia: 11 Chagyrskaya Cave 9,10 Okladnikov - making this largest study a date. We used hybridization capture obtain genome-wide nuclear data, as well mitochondrial...
Six infant human teeth and 112 animal tooth pendants from Borsuka Cave were identified as the oldest burial in Poland. However, uncertainties around dating association of to have precluded their with an Upper Palaeolithic archaeological industry. Using <67 mg per tooth, we combined genetic analyses two six herbivore address these questions. Our interdisciplinary approach yielded informative results despite limited sampling material, high levels degradation contamination. confirm origin...
Abstract Background Large-scale family pedigrees are commonly used across medical, evolutionary, and forensic genetics. These tools for identifying genetic disorders, tracking evolutionary patterns, establishing familial relationships via identification. However, there is a lack of software to accurately simulate different pedigree structures along with genomes corresponding those individuals in pedigree. This limits simulation-based evaluations methods that use pedigrees. Results We have...