Recent advances in molecular biology and sequencing technologies have facilitated the retrieval and sequencing of DNA from ancient human remains from archaeological contexts. This has provided us with novel insights into the origins and demographic history of several human populations (e.g. past migrations, genetic admixture, selection events). My talk will discuss the application of ancient DNA to the reconstruction of the population histories of present-day Native Americans and Europeans. I will also describe my group’s ongoing research, in collaboration with South Asian archaeologists and biologists, to better characterize the genetic makings of present-day South Asians.

Bio: 
Maanasa Raghavan is the Neubauer Family Assistant Professor in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. Her research group specializes in the use of genomic data from ancient and present-day specimens to understand the evolutionary processes that have shaped the current genetic landscape of a myriad of species, focusing particularly on humans and their domesticates and pathogens. Her past research has focused on using ancient genomics to understand the early peopling of the Americas and Europe.