HEB 1326: Ancient DNA as a Window Into the Human Past - Spring 2024, Spring 2022 & Fall 2020
Course Description:
Over the last decade, ancient DNA technology has made it possible to ask and answer questions that were impossible to address before, and the findings that have emerged are profoundly challenging and enriching previous understandings of the past gleaned from fields outside genetics. This course is aimed at providing students with the tools needed to critically evaluate and perform original research.
The centerpiece of the course will involve students learning how to analyze ancient DNA data—including unpublished data produced by the instructor’s lab—leading to a final project in which students will write an original research paper based on their analysis of data, mentored by the instructor and/or members of the instructor’s laboratory.
The course format will include lectures aimed at providing students with an understanding of major issues in this field (starting from an assumption that students have no background), and seminar-style discussions critically assessing papers and student research projects.
Nick Patterson’s Seminar Series - Spring & Fall 2020
Resources for Nick Patterson's seminar series