Dr. Jakob Sedig presents his talk Using Ancient DNA to Explore Long-Standing Questions in the Mimbres Regionon Wednesday, October 23 at 4 pm in Anthropology Conference Room 248.  This presentation provides an overview of a project Dr. Sedig has developed that combines his research interests in Mimbres archaeology and ancient DNA. From 2011-2015, he conducted research at the Woodrow site, a large, multicomponent Mimbres site in the upper Gila valley of southwest New Mexico. This research defined the Mimbres transitional phase (CE 940-1000) and social response to environmental change during this period, and also helped delineate similarities and differences of the archaeological records in the upper Gila and Mimbres river valleys. In 2016 Dr. Sedig was hired by the Reich Laboratory of Medical and Population genetics at Harvard Medical School, where he serves as a postdoctoral research fellow and the lab’s Ethics and Outreach Officer. His time in the Reich Laboratory has allowed him to view first-hand ancient DNA’s transformative impact on archaeology. He therefore has developed a project that will use new insights garnered from ancient DNA to explore long-standing questions in the Mimbres region. Through ancient DNA analysis this project will examine Mimbres social organization, the hypothesized movement of Mimbres people to Paquime after the Mimbres Classic period, and Mimbres genetic affinity to broader Southwest populations. Another key component of this project is indigenous engagement. In this presentation Dr. Sedig will also discuss his plans for indigenous engagement, and the ethical implications of ancient DNA research.