Combining Multiple Investigative Approaches to the Geographic Spread of Pastoralism

新的实验室方法提取和测序保存在动物骨骼中的古代DNA，为研究动物驯化和畜群动物的深层历史带来了令人兴奋的新基因组学视角。该研究小组将古基因组学方法与考古学方法结合起来，调查牛、绵羊和山羊的历史。10000多年前，这些动物首先在中东被驯化。大约5000-6000年前，它们通过跨欧亚交流网络被引入东亚。这项研究项目的目标是澄清牛、绵羊和山羊被收养的时间，探索它们的遗传史，并调查该地区不断扩大的牧业的长期文化和环境层面。特别令人感兴趣的问题是，古代人是否曾试验过管理野生牛群，如已灭绝的野牛。由于对畜群动物的古基因组研究很少，这项工作为学术上对动物驯化的理解增加了一个关键的缺失维度。古代DNA和动物骨骼也为向学生和公众介绍考古科学提供了一个令人兴奋的途径。该项目为学生提供参与田野调查和实验室研究的机会，通过考古学教授STEM的课程，以及考古公共推广活动。这一合作研究项目侧重于从新石器时代和青铜时代考古遗址出土的动物骨骼。该项目团队对代表多个时期的地点的动物骨骼进行了全面的动物考古分析，并选择关键的骨骼样本进行直接放射性碳测年。古代DNA是从骨骼样本中提取并测序的，研究小组使用生物信息学方法来识别野生和驯养牛种群混合的证据。最后，项目团队将动物考古学和古代DNA数据结合起来，以解决与牧业出现有关的社会和环境问题。其中最重要的问题是，畜牧业的扩张如何改变了当地的栖息地，改变了当地动物物种的分布。这些方法有助于正在进行的关于畜牧业传播和动物管理系统对环境影响的考古研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

New laboratory methods for extracting and sequencing ancient DNA preserved in animal bones have led to exciting new genomic perspectives for the study of animal domestication and the deep histories of herd animals. The research group combines paleogenomic methods with archaeological approaches to investigate the history of cattle, sheep, and goats. These animals were first domesticated in the Middle East over 10,000 years ago. They were then introduced to East Asia about 5000-6000 years ago through trans-Eurasian exchange networks. The goal of this research project is to clarify the timing of the adoption of cattle, sheep, and goats, explore their genetic histories, and investigate the long-term cultural and environmental dimensions of expanding pastoralism in the region. Of special interest is the question of whether ancient people experimented with managing wild bovid populations such as the extinct wild aurochs. Because little paleogenomic research has been done on herd animals, this work adds a critical missing dimension to the scholarly understanding of animal domestication. Ancient DNA and animal bones also provide an exciting avenue for introducing students and members of the public to archaeological science. The project offers opportunities for student participation in fieldwork and laboratory research, courses that teach STEM through archaeology, and archaeological public outreach activities.This collaborative research project focuses on animal bones excavated from Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeological sites. The project team conducts comprehensive zooarchaeological analyses of animal bones from sites representing multiple time periods and selects key bone samples for direct radiocarbon dating. Ancient DNA is extracted and sequenced from bone samples, and the research team uses bioinformatics methods to identify evidence of admixture between wild and domesticated bovid populations. Finally, the project team combines the zooarchaeological and ancient DNA data to address social and environmental questions about the emergence of pastoralism. Among the most important of these questions is how the expansion of pastoralism changed native habitats and altered distributions of native animal species. These approaches contribute to ongoing archaeological research on the spread of pastoralism and the environmental impacts of animal management systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.