Peyton DiSienna
Rotation Student
Investigating Pathogen-Driven Selection in Human Evolution Using Ancient DNA
Pathogens are theorized to have played a role in shaping the evolution of human genomes. Recently, methodologies surrounding the use of ancient DNA (aDNA) have presented avenues to explore the role of pathogen selection pressures on human genome diversity.
For my rotation, I worked on optimizing a methodology to extract parasitic ancient DNA from archaeological sediment samples. Our ultimate goal is to understand how intestinal parasites may have affected genomic variation at the population level.
Outside of research, I love to spend time relaxing with a good book and playing soccer with friends.