This capability offers a powerful tool for paleogenetics, paleoecology, and ecology, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of historical biodiversity and environmental changes.
In collaboration with the Department of Anthropology, this project aims to tackle the unique challenges associated with working with sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA). One of the primary difficulties is the heterogeneous composition of sediment, which complicates the separation and extraction of aDNA. Our approach involves fractionating the sediment into its constituent components to specifically target and isolate the aDNA, thereby improving recovery rates and data quality.
Moreover, although the ability to recover aDNA from sediments has been recognized for several years, the precise mechanisms that enable DNA to be preserved over long periods remain under debate. This project seeks to explore and identify the sources and conditions that contribute to the long-term preservation of aDNA within sediments. Understanding these factors will enhance our methodologies and potentially lead to new techniques for aDNA recovery and analysis.
By addressing these critical issues, we aim to refine and advance the fields of aDNA and eDNA research, contributing valuable knowledge to both scientific understanding and practical applications in archaeology, anthropology, ecology, and environmental science.