Michael James Boyle
Postdoctoral Associate
Retrieving ancient DNA in archaeological sediments from Stone Age Mongolia
Little is known about how early modern humans colonized Eastern Eurasia, and their interaction with local archaic human groups such as Neandertals and Denisovans in this region.
Together with a team of local and international researchers we collected sediment samples from archaeological sites across present-day Mongolia. We found ancient mammalian DNA in sediments at all sites and continue to search for ancient human DNA.
Identifying genetic variants in modern and archaic humans that alter cellular functions
I’m also identifying differences in the genomes of archaic and modern humans. Those that arose in archaic humans may represent adaptations to the Eurasian environment they lived in for hundreds of thousands of years. Some may have been introduced to modern humans by gene flow, potentially facilitating local adaptation as they colonized Eurasia.
In collaboration with Steve Reilly’s lab, we are testing how these variants affect gene expression and cell functions to provide insights into the biology of archaic humans and their phenotypic contribution to people today.
I enjoy spending time with family and friends, running, discussing culture- particularly movies and television, and have a *potentially* unhealthy obsession with genetic genealogy. I love exploring new countries, especially somewhere warm near the water, and attempting to cook cuisines from around the world.
Timeline
2023
Researching Ancient Human Evolutionary Genetics as a Postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Diyendo Massilani at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT (USA)
2022
Researching Human Evolutionary Genetics as a Postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Svante Pääbo at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig (Germany)
2015
Researching Evolutionary Genetics as a Doctoral degree student in the labs of Dr. Svante Pääbo and Dr. Gray Camp at the Max Plank Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig (Germany)
2013
Researching Evolutionary Genetics as a Master’s degree student in the labs of Dr. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at Uppsala University (Sweden), Dr. Wolfgang Enard at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Germany), and Dr. Pardis Sabeti at Harvard University (USA)
2009
Researching Cellular and Molecular Biology as a Bachelor’s degree student in the labs of Dr. David Zuzga, Dr. Greg Lampard, and Professor Erica Kipp at Pace University (USA)