Yorkshire Philosophical Society

Event Information

‘Cheddar Man and the Genetic Prehistory of Britain’

Dr. Tom Booth, Senior Research Scientist,  Pontus Skoglund Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute

Next Generation Sequencing technology has enabled vast improvements  in the study of ancient DNA over the last 15 years and we now have genome-wide data from thousands of humans from the last c.50,000 years. The long history of archaeology in Britain, ranging from antiquarian digs to modern commercial excavations has meant that archaeological institutions collectively have accumulated a vast assemblage of human remains dating to a variety of periods over the last 20,000 years. As a result, Britain has been a particular target for studies of ancient DNA, and we now have genetic information from over 1000 ancient people who lived in Britain over the last 15,000 years. The proliferation of ancient genetic information from Britain has mean that we now have a clear idea about the demographic history of Britain before written records, revealing amongst other things several major episodes of migration and genetic change and patterns of relatedness amongst burials at significant sites, including those around Stonehenge. In this talk I will discuss what we have learned from ancient DNA about Britain 15,000-2000 years ago, from the end of the last Ice Age up to the development of written histories.

7pm in the Tempest Anderson Lecture Theatre in the Yorkshire Museum

All welcome to this free event; although donations are welcome.