Ancient and modern genomes in human and animal populations

Population genetics aims to study the genetic composition of populations, in order to provide novel clues on past history. Research has been carried out over the last few decades using various approaches, starting with classical markers, then uniparental systems (mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome) and finally whole genome sequences. More recently, a new discipline has emerged, archaeogenomics, which allows the discovery of genetic elements in ancient remains, providing a massive contribution to the reconstruction of the genetic history of populations. The aim of my PhD project was to study human and animal genomes in both modern and ancient samples. The research focused on four main projects. Project 1) The worldwide spread of Aedes albopictus Project 2) Genomic analysis of the hippopotamus exhibited at the Kosmos museum in Pavia Project 3) Reconstructing the genetic composition of a Medieval population from Amiternum, in Central Italy Project 4) Genetic, microscopy and toxicological analyses on ancient blood samples