American Councils, CRRC Georgia and ARISC present the 23rd talk in the Spring 2015 Works-in-Progress Series!

Luka Papac, University of Melbourne
"Ancient DNA investigations at Samtavro, Republic of Georgia"

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 6:30pm
EPF/CRRC-Georgia, Kavsadze St. 3, Tbilisi

The Caucasus is a unique landmass situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. As a result, it has played a major role in many migrations, conquests and trading routes over the last 5,000 years. Studies of modern genetic diversity are limited in that they can only infer evolutionary and demographic events that have occurred in the past. Ancient DNA now allows us to directly test the hypotheses made from modern genetic data and is giving us a new understanding of human prehistory.

Luka Papac graduated from the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University with a Science degree and Honours in Genetics. He is interested in the utility of DNA studies in revealing aspects of human prehistory. His honours thesis focussed on the mitochondrial genetic diversity of Australian Aboriginals. Now he is undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne analysing the genetic make-up of the ancient population buried at Samtavro.

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W-i-P is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the Eurasian Partnership Foundation at Kavsadze St. 3. It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC), the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public.

The purpose of the W-i-P series is to provide support and productive criticism to those researching and developing academic projects pertaining the Caucasus region.

Would you like to present at one of the W-i-P sessions? Send an e-mail to natia@crrccenters.org.