UNAM Nanocolloquium Seminar: “Ancient Genomics and Insights into Anatolian Population History,” Professor Mehmet Somel (METU), UNAM Conference Hall, 4PM December 7 (EN)

Dear Colleagues and Students,

You are cordially invited to UNAM Nanocolloquium seminars focusing on advancements in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The seminars bring us the most recent developments in these exciting fields. The talk will be presented by Professor Mehmet Somel*

Title: Ancient genomics and insights into Anatolian population history
Date: December 7, 2018 (Friday)
Time: 16:00**
Place: UNAM Conference Hall

ABSTRACT:

The analysis of ancient genomes has recently been providing unprecedented insight into the demographic and evolutionary history of our species. Here I will provide a summary of current-day wet lab and computational methods used in ancient DNA analysis. I will then present examples of recent work on the population history of Anatolia since the Neolithic Transition 10,000 years ago, i.e. the shift from mobile hunter-gathering to sedentary farming. A major question here has been how Neolithic cultural elements developed over multiple millennia in the region. Among a number of preliminary results, an emerging pattern is that mass migration and colonization were not the main drivers of Neolithization in Southwest Asia, a conclusion that contrasts with the Neolithization of Europe.
About the Speaker:
Mehmet Somel studied biology at Middle East Technical University (METU), Ankara, and worked on human evolutionary genetics for his Ph.D. at the MPI-EVA in Leipzig (2004-2008). He later worked as postdoctoral fellow at the PICB, Shanghai (2008-2011) and in UC Berkeley (2011-2013). Since 2013 he is faculty at METU. His group works on evolutionary genetics, population genetics, and the biology of aging. The group is also part of the METU Ancient DNA Team, working on ancient genomics with a focus on human and domestic animal populations in SW Asia. http://adna.bio.metu.edu.tr/en/

*Middle East Technical University
** Refreshment will be served at 15:40