"Paleogenomics and the Evolution of Neandertals and Denisovans"
John Hawks, Ph.D. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin
John Hawks' lab is currently working with genomes of archaic
humans to uncover the relationships of these ancient people to
recent human populations. Most living people trace a fraction of
their ancestry to Neandertals, and a smaller proportion trace
their ancestry to a mysterious population called the
"Denisovans", represented by a genome from an ancient specimen
from the Altai mountains. They are uncovering the interactions
among these ancient groups -- when and where did they encounter
modern humans and exchange genes with them? They are also
investigating the function of those ancient genomes, and what
new facts their genes can tell us about Neandertal biology. He
will talk about his ongoing work related to pigmentation, immune
system, muscle physiology and the brain. 2:30 p.m. Friday, March
2, 2012 North Classroom 1535 UC Denver - Auraria Campus
(Downtown) Light Refreshments wi