Prof. FU Qiaomei from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences gave an online lecture titled “Ancient DNA and Human Evolution” for faculty and students of Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on November 19. 

In her lecture, Prof. Fu introduced the work of her team. They developed large scale ancient nuclear DNA capture techniques; presented the high-quality genome sequence of a ～45,000-year-old modern human male from Siberia. 

Her team’s study on the Tianyuan cave man marks the earliest ancient DNA from East Asia, and the first ancient genome-wide data from China. An international cooperation project joined by her team provided the first vivid look at the genetic history of modern humans in Eurasia before the start of agriculture ~8,500 years ago.  

Her team also revealed that human population shifts and admixture in northern and southern China.   

Prof. Fu is a winner of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and chief scientist of National Key Research and Development Project. Engaging in the study of evolutionary and population genetics, she has contributed tremendously to exploring the genetic roots of humankind.