Project: Food production strategies and genetic adaptations of human populations in Africa
Research group: Černý
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Deadline is closed
The Neolithic transition was the fundamental step in our evolution when diet consumed by our ancestors changed dramatically. According to one of the archaeological theories the first food-producing subsistence in sub-Saharan Africa was based on nomadic lifestyle, where milking of domestic animals was complemented by hunting and gathering and the cereals cultivation demanding sedentary lifestyle come more recently. Another theory counts rather with a co-evolution of farming and pastoral practices at the beginning of food-production but such mixed economy is not observed today. Contemporary farmers and pastoralists live separately and have mostly different food regimes; the fresh milk being one of the items consumed almost uniquely by pastoralists. This PhD project aims to extend our knowledge of human genetic adaptations to diet in two populations of different subsistence regimes in the African Sahel – sedentary farmers and nomadic pastoralists. Successful candidate will apply bioinformatics and statistical tools to an extensive dataset of genetic data of African population in order to analyze their population structure and identify loci under positive selection. The project should provide also a conceptual framework for the study of evolutionary processes that shape disease susceptibility, which is particularly timely in today’s globalizing world, where populations of various ancestry share the same diet more often than ever before.
Deadline is closed