PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Ancient, modern DNA tell story of first humans in the Americas

2013-11-18
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ancient, modern DNA tell story of first humans in the Americas

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — University of Illinois anthropology professor Ripan Malhi looks to DNA to tell the story of how ancient humans first came to the Americas and what happened to them once they were here.

He will share some of his findings at the meeting, "Ancient DNA: The First Three Decades," at The Royal Society in London on Nov. 18 and 19.

Malhi, an affiliate of the Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois, will describe his collaborative approach, which includes working with present-day Native Americans on studies of their genetic history.

He and a group of collaborators from the Tsimshian Nation on the northwest coast of British Columbia, for example, recently found a direct ancestral link between ancient human remains in the Prince Rupert Island area and the native peoples living in the region today. That study looked at changes in the mitochondrial genome, which children inherit only from their mothers.

Other studies from Malhi's lab analyze changes in the Y chromosome or the protein-coding regions of the genome.

"The best opportunity to infer the evolutionary history of Native Americans and to assess the effects of European colonization is to analyze genomes of ancient Native Americans and those of their living descendants," Malhi said.

"I think what makes my lab unique is that we focus not only on the initial peopling of the Americas but also what happened after the initial peopling. How did these groups move to new environments and adapt to their local settings over 15,000 years?"

While continuing his work in British Columbia, Malhi also is setting up study sites in California, Guatemala, Mexico and Illinois.

"What's interesting about the northwest coast and California is that these communities were complex hunter-gatherer societies, whereas in Mexico and Guatemala, it's more communities that transitioned to farming and then experienced the effects of European colonization," he said.

Genomic studies can fill in the blanks on studies that seek to tell the story of life in the Americas before and after European colonization, Malhi said. Researchers may draw the wrong conclusions about human history when looking only at artifacts and language, he said.



INFORMATION:

Malhi's presentation at the Royal Society meeting will be third in a session that begins at 11 a.m. (London time) on Monday (Nov. 18). Professor Erika Hagelberg, from the University of Oslo; professor Christine Keyser, of the University of Strasbourg; and Dr. Helena Malmström, of Uppsala University, also will present during the session.

Editor's note: To reach Ripan Malhi, call 217-265-0721; email malhi@illinois.edu.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New ISHLT nomenclature & diagnostic criteria: Antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplantation

2013-11-18
New ISHLT nomenclature & diagnostic criteria: Antibody-mediated rejection in heart transplantation Experts issue consensus statement in The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation New York, NY, November 18, 2013 – Antibody-mediated rejection of the transplanted ...

With board games, it's how children count that counts

2013-11-18
With board games, it's how children count that counts Boston College and Carnegie Mellon researchers find 'count-on' method yields learning gains CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Nov. 18, 2013) – Teachers and parents like to use board games to teach skills that range from fair play to ...

Body mass index may predict heart disease risk for type-2 diabetic patients new study finds

2013-11-17
Body mass index may predict heart disease risk for type-2 diabetic patients new study finds DALLAS – Researchers from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, in collaboration with researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the National Institutes ...

Childhood cancer treatment takes toll on hearts of survivors

2013-11-17
Childhood cancer treatment takes toll on hearts of survivors Abstract: 10400 (Poster 2186 - Hall F, Core 2) Cancer treatment takes a toll on the hearts of child survivors, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific ...

Heart disease no. 1 cause of pregnancy-related deaths in California

2013-11-17
Heart disease no. 1 cause of pregnancy-related deaths in California Abstract: 18851 (Hall F, Core 2, Poster Board: 2134) Heart disease is the leading cause of women's pregnancy-related deaths in California — but nearly one-third could be prevented, ...

Environmental toxins linked to heart defects

2013-11-17
Environmental toxins linked to heart defects Abstract: 15332 (Hall F, Core 2, Poster Board: 2092) Children's congenital heart defects may be associated with their mothers' exposure to specific mixtures of environmental toxins during pregnancy, according ...

'Virtual reality hands' may help stroke survivors recover hand function

2013-11-17
'Virtual reality hands' may help stroke survivors recover hand function Abstract: 18886 (Hall F, Core 2, Poster Board: 2197) "Virtual reality hands" — controlled by stroke survivors' thoughts — could help them recover use of their hands and arms, ...

Physical fitness improves survival, prevents some heart attacks

2013-11-17
Physical fitness improves survival, prevents some heart attacks A new study highlights the importance of exercise and physical fitness among people with stable coronary artery disease. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Henry ...

Johns Hopkins heart researchers develop formula to better calculate 'bad' cholesterol in patients

2013-11-17
Johns Hopkins heart researchers develop formula to better calculate 'bad' cholesterol in patients Findings follow previous study showing that commonly used equation underestimates heart disease danger for many at high risk Johns Hopkins researchers have ...

Weight reduction decreases atrial fibrillation and symptom severity

2013-11-17
Weight reduction decreases atrial fibrillation and symptom severity Chicago – Hany S. Abed, B.Pharm., M.B.B.S., of the University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, Australia and colleagues evaluated the effect of a structured ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

[Press-News.org] Ancient, modern DNA tell story of first humans in the Americas