Hunting our Molecular Past
Publication date: Jan 30, 2013 1:06:35 PM
Start: Feb 25, 2013 4:00:00 PM
Location: Archaeology Lecture Theatre, G6
Eske Willerslev (University of Copenhagen) will give the fifth seminar in the Term II Institute Research Seminar series on ancient DNA at the Institute on 25 February.
The Term II Institute Research Seminar series looking at the field of ancient DNA is being organised by Mark Thomas (UCL Genetics, Evolution and Environment) and coincides with the launch of a new ancient DNA Laboratory facility at the Institute.
Prof DSc Eske Willerslev is Director of the Centre for Excellence in GeoGenetics and the National CryoBank and Sequencing Facility at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Following an early career as a trapper in Siberia, Eske became interested in ancient DNA, ancient genomics, DNA degradation and evolutionary biology. Within these areas he has published 150 high profile scientific publications of which 24 publications are in the journals Science and Nature - 16 as first or last author. Among his recent scientific breakthroughs are: Sequencing the first ancient human genome and the first Aboriginal Australian genome and establishing the oldest evidence for human presence in North America.
The seminar will be followed by a reception in the Institute's Staff Common Room (Room 609).
Any enquiries about the Ancient DNA seminar series may be directed to Mark Thomas.
Term II Institute Research Seminar Series Programme
- 14 January: A Brief History of Ancient DNA (Ian Barnes, Royal Holloway)
- 21 January: Giving ancient DNA a modern context: Migrating people, migrating diseases (François Balloux, UCL Genetics Institute)
- 4 February: Progress and prospects in archaeological DNA research (Michael Hofreiter, University of York)
- 18 February: The Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Europe: A palaeopopulationgenetic view (Joachim Burger, JGU, Mainz)
- 25 February: Hunting our Molecular Past (Eske Willerslev, University of Copenhagen)
- 4 March: Towards a comprehension of early animal domestication through ancient DNA (Greger Larson, Durham University)
- 11 March: Ancient Pathogen Genomics: the evolution of infectious disease from the angle of historic pandemics (Johannes Krause, Eberhard Karls University)
- 18 March: Using archaeogenomic and computational approaches to unravel the history of local adaptation in crops (Robin Allaby, University of Warwick)
