Maanasa Raghavan | Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology

Research Summary

My group's research interests span questions and applications in multiple fields, including population genetics/genomics, anthropology, archaeology, and medical genetics. The big question driving our research is: ‘How have demographic, cultural, and environmental factors contributed over time to shaping the genetic profiles of present-day human populations?’ In order to address specific research questions embedded within this overarching goal, we use a combined approach that brings together genome-scale data from present-day and ancient humans and their biotic environment, especially domesticates and pathogens. Through the implementation of multiple complementary projects set within the global context, our research will ultimately contribute towards the understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms that underlie adaptations and diseases among human populations.

Keywords

Population and Evolutionary Genetics, Ancient DNA, Genomics, Human Evolution

Education

University of Copenhagen, Denmark, PhD Paleogenomics (ancient DNA) 12/2011
University of Oxford, UK, MSc Archaeological Sciences 09/2007
University of Toronto, Canada, BSc (Hons) Molecular Biology 06/2006

Biosciences Graduate Program Association

Awards & Honors

2018 - 2023 Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program University of Chicago

Publications

Recommendations for Sustainable Ancient DNA Research in the Global South: Voices From a New Generation of Paleogenomicists. Front Genet. 2022; 13:880170. View in: PubMed
The Articulation of Genomics, Mestizaje, and Indigenous Identities in Chile: A Case Study of the Social Implications of Genomic Research in Light of Current Research Practices. Front Genet. 2022; 13:817318. View in: PubMed
An Ancient Genome from the Indus Valley Civilization. Cell. 2019 10 17; 179(3):586-588. View in: PubMed
DNA evidence of bowhead whale exploitation by Greenlandic Paleo-Inuit 4,000 years ago. Nat Commun. 2016 11 08; 7:13389. View in: PubMed
POPULATION GENETICS. Genomic evidence for the Pleistocene and recent population history of Native Americans. Science. 2015 Aug 21; 349(6250):aab3884. View in: PubMed
Prehistoric genomes reveal the genetic foundation and cost of horse domestication. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014 Dec 30; 111(52):E5661-9. View in: PubMed
Ancient genomics. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2015 Jan 19; 370(1660):20130387. View in: PubMed
Two ancient human genomes reveal Polynesian ancestry among the indigenous Botocudos of Brazil. Curr Biol. 2014 Nov 03; 24(21):R1035-7. View in: PubMed
A Selective Sweep on a Deleterious Mutation in CPT1A in Arctic Populations. Am J Hum Genet. 2014 11 06; 95(5):584-589. View in: PubMed
Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal continuity in present-day Poland over the last two millennia. PLoS One. 2014; 9(10):e110839. View in: PubMed
The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic. Science. 2014 Aug 29; 345(6200):1255832. View in: PubMed
Rodents of the Caribbean: origin and diversification of hutias unravelled by next-generation museomics. Biol Lett. 2014 Jul; 10(7). View in: PubMed
Genomic diversity and admixture differs for Stone-Age Scandinavian foragers and farmers. Science. 2014 May 16; 344(6185):747-50. View in: PubMed
Upper Palaeolithic Siberian genome reveals dual ancestry of Native Americans. Nature. 2014 Jan 02; 505(7481):87-91. View in: PubMed
Recalibrating Equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse. Nature. 2013 Jul 04; 499(7456):74-8. View in: PubMed
Mitochondrial phylogenomics of modern and ancient equids. PLoS One. 2013; 8(2):e55950. View in: PubMed
Clovis age Western Stemmed projectile points and human coprolites at the Paisley Caves. Science. 2012 Jul 13; 337(6091):223-8. View in: PubMed
Origins and genetic legacy of Neolithic farmers and hunter-gatherers in Europe. Science. 2012 Apr 27; 336(6080):466-9. View in: PubMed
True single-molecule DNA sequencing of a pleistocene horse bone. Genome Res. 2011 Oct; 21(10):1705-19. View in: PubMed
Ancient human genome sequence of an extinct Palaeo-Eskimo. Nature. 2010 Feb 11; 463(7282):757-62. View in: PubMed
Amino acid delta13C analysis of hair proteins and bone collagen using liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry: paleodietary implications from intra-individual comparisons. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2010 Mar 15; 24(5):541-8. View in: PubMed
Preservation of cell structures in a medieval infant brain: a paleohistological, paleogenetic, radiological and physico-chemical study. Neuroimage. 2010 Apr 15; 50(3):893-901. View in: PubMed
Examining protein protein interactions using endogenously tagged yeast arrays: the cross-and-capture system. Genome Res. 2007 Dec; 17(12):1774-82. View in: PubMed
Recommendations for Sustainable Ancient DNA Research in the Global South: Voices From a New Generation of Paleogenomicists. Frontiers in Genetics. 2022.::::