Ancient DNA prospecting in the Caribbean: preliminary findings and future perspectives

Summary

Recent advancements in DNA sequencing has initiated a revolution in the field of Archaeogenetics. The results of these new studies have fundamentally affected our understanding of early human migration and peoples.

Limitations, however, still exist, notably in tropical environments. These environments are believed to affect the preservation of DNA in human fossils, to the extent where DNA extraction and analysis is at the limit of even the newest technologies. A specialized facility has been setup in the Caribbean to maximize the extraction and sequencing chemistry, specifically, in order to redress this limitation.

Ancient DNA recovery is optimized through a number of techniques, including samples selection, extraction, differential and selective DNA enrichment protocols, stringent biochemistry and improved chemistry. A brief outline of the initial results and successes will be investigated. Furthermore, preliminary results, both in decomposition studies and in Whole Genome Analysis (WGA) of Caribbean samples will be discussed. Finally, consideration will be given to the impact of these studies on our understanding, present and future, of the pre-Columbian peopling of the Caribbean.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• New Perspectives on Early Migrations in the Western Caribbean   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage