The successful candidate will work within the research project “From Clay to Code: Investigating Microbial Evolution in Response to Human Influence” funded by the Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE). The project aims to establish a scientific foundation for investigating viable ancient bacteria recovered from archaeological ceramics to determine the evolutionary trajectories and adaptation mechanisms of the isolated bacteria under anthropogenic influences. Advances in ancient DNA techniques have substantially increased our understanding of past human populations, other animals as well as on ecology and evolution of microbial diseases. However, dormant forms of microbes that can persist for extremely long periods of time in the right conditions, may also act as windows to the past. In this work we will compare ancient and modern bacteria with various methods. By integrating the findings with archaeological knowledge, the goal is to elucidate bacterial genetic evolution that was shaped by human influence and make predictions to the future.
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