Category: Research
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Mariam reports from the Philippines fieldwork, Nov-Dec 2025
Marian Omar Gómez travelled to the Philippines again in continuation of her PhD project. This time, she was joined for shorter periods by Armin Rassooli Tilehnovi (another PhD student at Human Evolution Program, Uppsala University), Max Larena, and Mattias Jakobsson. The three primary objectives were academic outreach, establishing a formal collaboration with the National Museum…
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Tweap protocol—Lets Tweap again: Economic and SNP retrieval optimisation for target enrichment of ancient DNA
The protocol (closely related to the preprint described below) has been updated and published in April 2026 (Open Access): Saupe, T., Tan, E. J., Gómez, M. O., Bernhardsson, C., & Jakobsson, M. (2026). Tweap protocol for target enrichment via in-solution hybridisation using Twist Bioscience Panels. protocols.io. DOI: https://www.protocols.io/view/tweap-protocol-for-target-enrichment-via-in-soluti-5qpvoknbxl4o/v1 An updated preprint from the Jakobsson Lab:…
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Luciana Simões receives VR International Postdoc grant
The grant of 4,050,000 SEK will cover three years of Luciana’s research in collaboration with Emilia Huerta-Sanchez at Trinity College Dublin and Tom van der Valk at the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. Congratulations, Luciana! The roles of selection and demography on the fate of human genetic ancestry About 40,000 years ago, Neanderthals disappeared. More…
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Homo sapiens-specific evolution unveiled by ancient southern African genomes, published in Nature
In southern Africa, a group of people lived in partial isolation for hundreds of thousands of years. This is shown in a new study based on analyses of the genomes of 28 people who lived between 10,200 and 150 years ago in southern Africa. The researchers also found genetic adaptations that likely shaped Homo sapiens…
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New master student in the group
Anna Louise Olsson has joined the group to work on her master’s degree project, Genomic History of Northwestern Africa since the Iron Age, under the mentorship of Luciana Simões. Welcome to the team, Loiuse! Project summary North Africa has long been a crucial crossroads, connecting sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Near East, facilitating cultural…
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Post-fieldwork in Philippines – impressions
Max Larena and Mariam Omar Gómez visited the Philippines this summer. Mariam was travelling around, meeting collaborators, collecting DNA data and immersing in the languages and cultures of the region she focuses on in her PhD work.