Using genetic and computational methods to investigate morphological variation

这项研究考察了影响人类体型和体型的环境和遗传因素。该项目比较了古代人类的遗传变异、体型测量和环境测量，以促进对人类适应以及影响人类形态的遗传和环境因素的相对作用的了解。该项目支持博士后研究人员发展分析这些数据所需的定量和计算研究技能，以及国内和国际合作。这项研究的结果被用来开发博物馆展品和教材，支持公共和K-12科学教育和户外活动。人体尺寸的变化可以通过测量古代个体的骨骼来评估。然而，这些数据只反映了遗传和环境的累积影响。基因技术的最新进展使对古代基因组进行测序和直接估计基因对身高的贡献成为可能。也有可能通过稳定同位素分析等方法收集有关古代个体生活环境的一些信息。该项目整理了遗传、表型和考古测量的大量数据集，并开发统计模型来结合这些不同类型的数据，并确定不同因素的相对重要性。通过分离遗传和环境因素，可以确定身体大小和形状的变化是由塑料对环境变化的发育反应驱动的，还是由遗传变化驱动的，还是两者兼而有之。除了解决这些关于人类形态的问题，这项研究还可以提供一个路线图，将古代基因数据与其他人类学测量方法结合起来，比如健康和疾病的标志。最后，作为研究的一部分，整理的数据将作为进一步研究的资源公开提供。这一奖项反映了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。

This research examines environmental and genetic factors that influence body size and shape in humans. The project compares genetic variation, body size measurements, and environmental measurements of ancient people to advance knowledge about human adaptation and the relative roles of genetic and environmental factors affecting human morphology. The project supports a post-doctoral researcher to develop quantitative and computational research skills that are necessary to analyze these data, as well as national and international collaborations. The results of this research are used to develop museum exhibits and teaching materials that support public and K-12 science education and outreach.Changes in human body size can be assessed by measuring the skeletons of ancient individuals. However, these data reflect only the cumulative effects of both genetics and environment. Recent advances in genetic technology make it possible to sequence ancient genomes and make direct estimates of the genetic contribution to height. It is also possible to collect some information about the environment in which ancient individuals lived through methods such as stable isotope analysis. This project collates a large dataset of genetic, phenotypic and archaeological measurements and develops statistical models to combine these different types of data and identify the relative importance of different factors. By separating genetic and environmental factors it is possible to determine whether changes in body size and shape are driven by plastic developmental response to environmental change, genetic changes, or both. As well as addressing these questions about the human form, the research can provide a roadmap for integrating ancient genetic data with other anthropological measurements like markers of health and disease. Finally, data collated as part of the research are made publicly available as a resource for further studies.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.