Science on Tap: Exploring Ice Age ecosystems with sedimentary ancient DNA

What did Ice Age environments look like? Sedimentary ancient DNA is increasingly becoming a powerful tool for studying ancient plants, animals, and even microbes. In this presentation, we will travel back in time to the Ice Age environments of Alaska and Yukon Territory and explore what sedimentary ancient DNA can tell us about this extinct habitat. We will learn about how DNA can be extracted from old mud, how mammoths responded to volcanic eruptions, and what species coexisted with the first humans to cross the Bering Land Bridge into North America. Join us to peek back in time to the world of woolly mammoths, North American horses, and giant bison.

Speaker: Ciara Wanket, UC Santa Cruz