Science on Tap: An Invisible Enemy: Pathogens, Colonialism, and Ancient DNA

Pathogens and colonialism are interconnected threats. Both can be deadly; both can be difficult to see. These forces often work together in the most destructive of ways. Ancient DNA has the power to untangle stories where these “invisible enemies” intersect. My research focuses on the DNA of ancient pathogens brought to the South America by Spanish colonizers, and how that impacted (and continues to impact) people of the region. Connecting the past to the present, this talk discusses colonialism’s impacts on infectious disease spread, infectious diseases’ impact on colonialism, and the involvement of colonialism in the field of paleogenomics itself.

Speaker: Nasreen Broomand, UC Santa Cruz

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