1 research outputs found
Toward high-resolution population genomics using archaeological samples
The term ‘ancient DNA’ (aDNA) is coming of age, with over 1,200 hits in the PubMed database,
beginning in the early 1980s with the studies of ‘molecular paleontology’. Rooted in cloning
and limited sequencing of DNA from ancient remains during the pre-PCR era, the field has
made incredible progress since the introduction of PCR and next-generation sequencing. Over
the last decade, aDNA analysis ushered in a new era in genomics and became the method of
choice for reconstructing the history of organisms, their biogeography, and migration routes,
with applications in evolutionary biology, population genetics, archaeogenetics, paleoepidemiology,
and many other areas. This change was brought by development of new strategies
for coping with the challenges in studying aDNA due to damage and fragmentation, scarce
samples, significant historical gaps, and limited applicability of population genetics methods. In this review, we describe the state-of-the-art achievements in aDNA studies, with particular focus
on human evolution and demographic history. We present the current experimental and theoretical
procedures for handling and analysing highly degraded aDNA. We also review the challenges
in the rapidly growing field of ancient epigenomics. Advancement of aDNA tools and
methods signifies a new era in population genetics and evolutionary medicine research