Willerslev Abstracts

 Hunting for the molecular past--From trapping in Siberia to studies of our human history
October 22, 2019; 7 pm Schaible Auditorium, UAF

The story of starting as a trapper in Siberia, being curious about the diversity of indigenous groups I encountered, and ending up studying the human past through genomics.

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Early peopling of the Americas and the Ice Age megafaunal extinction – an ancient genomics perspective

October 23, 2019; 4 pm UA Museum of the North Auditorium UAF

Ancient genomics have revolutionized our understanding of the past. This talk focuses on recent ancient genomic studies relating to early peopling of the Americas and extinction of the ice age megafauna. The data reveal support for climate-driven extinctions of megafauna rather than human overkill. They also suggest a much more complex process of early peopling of northeastern  Siberia and the Americas than have traditionally been argued.