Ancient DNA
Much of our research centers on three simple questions:
what do animals do, how do they do it, and ultimately, why?
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Answering these fundamental questions, however, is often not so simple, especially if you work on large marine predators in some very challenging environments.
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​But that is part of the allure for the web program. There is no substitute for getting in the field, from the Arctic to the subtropics, if you want to get to know your subject.
Unravelling the origins of the first pandemic 541-750 CE
​The first documented pandemic in human history occurred in the eastern Roman Empire in the sixth century CE. We are collaborating with an international team of archaeologists, anthropologists, and scientists, including Dr. Rays Jiang's team at the University of South Florida, to uncover the cause and demographic context of this calamity. Our team is leading efforts to extract DNA from human remains excavated from a mass grave in the cosmopolitan city of Jerash in present day Jordan.
The history Kotzebue Sound beluga whales
There are places across the Arctic where beluga whales have rarely been seen following historical declines, appearing to be functionally extinct. Occasionally, however, whales are seen. The question of whether they are surviving animals from the original population returning to their old haunts or whales from other locations exploring new areas is both a critical and difficult one to answer. We are using aDNA techniques and genomics to investigate whether recent sightings in Northwest Alaska are remnants of an ancient population or pioneers in a changing Arctic.