DNA Studies at Chiribaya Alta Peru

9320807威廉姆斯利用国家科学基金会的这笔规划拨款，斯隆·威廉姆斯博士将开发模型，使她能够利用从古代骨骼分析中获得的DNA数据重建史前社会组织的形式。在秘鲁南部的考古田野工作中，威廉姆斯博士和她的合作者挖掘了一系列墓地，其中包含保存完好的人类骨骼遗骸。这些坟墓还产生了许多墓葬物品，提供了有关相关个人的社会和职业地位的信息。利用目前的生化技术，有可能从这些骨骼中提取和分析DNA，并通过收集的数据来确定个体之间的联系程度。在此基础上，应有可能重建生物亲和力，并将其与社会和职业组织联系起来。虽然这项工作的考古学意义是明确的，研究在技术上是可行的，但威廉姆斯博士仍然必须开发分析技术，以弥合数据和问题之间的差距。这笔赠款将为她提供完成这一目标的时间。该项目之所以重要，有三个原因。这将有助于开发一种潜在的广泛使用的分析技术。这将为威廉姆斯博士设计一项大规模的努力铺平道路。它还将促进一位有前途的年轻科学家的发展。***

9320807 Williams With this planning grant from The National Science Foundation, Dr. Sloan Williams will develop models which will allow her to reconstruct forms of prehistoric social organization using DNA data obtained from the analysis of ancient bone. In the course of archaeological fieldwork in southern Peru, Dr. Williams and her collaborators have excavated a series of cemeteries which contain well preserved human skeletal remains. The graves also yielded numerous burial goods which provide information on the social and occupational status of the associated individuals. Using current biochemical techniques it is possible to extract and analyze DNA from these bones and with the data thus collected determine the degree of relatedness among individuals. On this basis it should be possible to reconstruct biological affinity and relate this to social and occupational organization. While the archaeological significance of this work is clear and the research is technically feasible, Dr. Williams must still develop analytic techniques which bridge the gap between data and question. This grant will provide her the time to accomplish this. The project is important for three reasons. It will help to develop an analytic technique of potential widespread use. It will pave the way for Dr. Williams to design a large scale effort. It will also facilitate the development of a promising young scientist. ***