Our gene sequence data indicate remarkable differences inthe amounts of mutations accumulated in different lineages since their divergence from a common ancestor. We are interested in the mechanism of this apparent variation in molecular evolutionary rate. Finally, we have just begun a collaboration with the Center for the Study of the First Americans. An often-overlooked but ubiquitous artifact from archeological excavations is hair. A site at Mammoth Meadow, Montana, has yielded a hair record spanning upwards of 12,000 years and comprising both human and animal hairs.
Hair contains DNA and thus is suitable for genetic analysis.
In addition, it is much more readily available than bone, mummy, or tissue samples from archaic populations, and may be better preserved. We are using mitochondrial gene markers amplified from the hair samples to compare the human occupants of Mammoth Meadow to modern human populations. Genetic diversity in Sargasso Sea picoplankton. Molecular phylogeny of the animal kingdom. Reverse transcriptase sequencing of rRNA for phylogenetic analyses.