Deciphering ancient human genetic code

Deciphering ancient human genetic code

July 21, 2016 Source: Xinhuanet

Window._bd_share_config={ "common":{ "bdSnsKey":{ },"bdText":"","bdMini":"2","bdMiniList":false,"bdPic":"","bdStyle":" 0","bdSize":"16"},"share":{ }};with(document)0[(getElementsByTagName('head')[0]||body).appendChild(createElement('script')) .src='http://bdimg.share.baidu.com/static/api/js/share.js?v=89860593.js?cdnversion='+~(-new Date()/36e5)];

Not long ago, Nature published a close-up report called "Scientific Star of China", and selected "Ten Chinese Science Stars". Fu Qiaomei was listed and became the youngest one. . The reason for the selection was “to help rewrite the history of the earliest modern humans in Europe, and hope to rewrite the prehistoric history of Asia with the DNA of the ancient human remains.”

In January of this year, after finishing his seven years of study and research career in Germany and the United States, the young female scholar returned to China and served as the director of the Ancient DNA Laboratory of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The ancient DNA research team made in China.

For the "juvenile", Fu Qiaomei seems calm and modest: "I am just lucky than others, doing what I like to do, and I am sure."

Interdisciplinary

From cultural protection technology to ancient DNA, the multidisciplinary background helped her research open the situation

Born in Jiangxi, Fu Qiaomei was interested in biology from an early age, especially in the high school stage. This interest is increasing day by day. Originally thinking of college to take relevant majors, she accidentally entered the Northwestern University's cultural relics protection technology.

“This is actually a cross-disciplinary major in science and technology, mainly based on chemistry.” Fu Qiaomei said, “In addition, we also study courses in computer, university physics, archaeology and cultural relics identification.”

Although at the time, Fu Qiaomei felt that these courses were too broad and not very relevant to the majors they studied, but later it proved that the comprehensive foundation laid by the undergraduate stage was very helpful for her research work.

Because he has been holding the desire to work in the field of biology in the future, Fu Qiaomei gave up her school's research and study at the time of her undergraduate studies, and instead took a postgraduate degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to engage in bone research. In 2009, she ended her master's degree and went to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Human Studies in Germany to pursue her Ph.D.

Going to Germany does not mean being recognized, and meeting the requirements of the institute has become the first difficulty in front of Fu Qiaomei.

Fu Qiaomei said: "Unlike the country, the doctoral degree in Germany is a job, and it is assessed every year. Once it is not passed, it will be eliminated."

Studying ancient DNA research in Germany is the initiative and strong demand of Fu Qiaomei, although she did not have much foundation in this regard. “Doing ancient DNA research sounds like it’s still dealing with bones, but technology itself is genetically related.”

"Fortunately, I took the train of the DNA research information big bang era." Fu Qiaomei said, "The emergence of the second generation of sequencers has brought a lot of data, mining large amounts of data and grabbing useful information. At this point, everyone is equal, and people who study biology or life sciences don't necessarily have an advantage." In this way, the computers and high numbers that were previously considered by Fu Qiaomei to think "not very useful" Knowledge has become one of the factors that opened her position in the field of ancient DNA research.

Therefore, after arriving in Germany for 4 months, Fu Qiaomei was approved to formally start her Ph.D. in the institute because of her “absorption ability, and not only passive reception, but also independent interaction”.

Turn direction

From extinct ancient humans to early modern people, skepticism helped her complete new projects

So far, the evolutionary genetics department of the Max Planck Institute for Human Evolution in Germany has only received two PhDs from Chinese students. Fu Qiaomei is one of them, and the only one who is a teacher in the ancient DNA field, Svante Pa Chinese students of the wave. In an interview with Nature, Papo called her "one of the best students."

In the second half of 2012, Fu Qiaomei, who has been studying at the Institute for more than three years, passed some preliminary projects to let Papo see her potential. At this time, it received a very important project - the 45,000-year-old modern human genome in western Siberia. Papo decided to let Fu Qiaomei become the leader of the project.

Fu Qiaomei said: "When the Institute got the bone fossils of 45,000 years ago, there was no clear research idea. Because before this, our team paid more attention to the ancient humans that had been extinct, but now we have to study The first modern genome of the whole genome, then the ideas will be different and very difficult."

These difficulties are not difficult to pay for the clever girl. She first made an estimate, showed the possibility of the plan and the required data, proposed and designed her own research questions, and gave corresponding solutions, and then led everyone to explore step by step, a little bit found.

“At the beginning, everyone still had some doubts. But through cooperation, my operational ability, the ability to find problems and solve problems gradually gained recognition from everyone.” Fu Qiaomei said.

In the end, the research results of this project reveal two major problems: First, adding credible details to the human migration route, and proposing that the modern ancestors' “out of Africa” route is not only a single south line, but the northern line “path” Possible. The second is about whether modern ancestors communicated with ancient humans. The study found that there is indeed a gene exchange with Neanderthals (ancient humans) in the genetic material of the 45,000-year-old individual, which is about 50,000 to 60,000 years ago.

Fu Qiaomei's research is always accompanied by strong self-doubt. Whenever she gets a result that she might change before she knows, her first reaction is often "Is it wrong?" Fu Qiaomei explained: "I am always worried that the sample is contaminated or the method of analysis is wrong. If the result is rashly determined, the wrong information will be received by other researchers, affecting the research results, so it will continue to Self-finding and argumentation, until all the methods have been tried, convinced, can be relaxed."

Change role

From the researcher turned into the laboratory director, she began to worry about team settings, funding sources and other issues.

At the beginning of this year, Fu Qiaomei ended her seven-year foreign life and officially returned to China. She began to devote herself to the ancient DNA laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and set up a "Made in China" ancient DNA research team.

"In fact, I always have the idea of ​​coming back. First, my roots are in China. Second, I am very interested in what happened in China and East Asia." Fu Qiaomei said. After returning to China, the role of Fu Qiaomei changed from a simple researcher to a laboratory director, which is another new challenge.

Fu Qiaomei said: "Be a simple researcher, you may only need to have a project to start working without worrying about resource issues. To become a laboratory manager, you must consider the overall layout, such as the team to go In which direction, how big is the sustainable space, how the team is set up, where is the funding support, and how to promote the projects already underway."

What makes Fu Qiaomei happy is that the formation of the team is still smooth, and some research projects have been carried out.

This year, she recruited several postdocs from foreign countries with backgrounds in bioinformatics and population genetics, including a Chinese-American researcher from the University of California at Berkeley who is doing integrated biology. “I am interested in this project and related topics, which is the biggest factor driving them to come here.” Fu Qiaomei said, “I hope that everyone can do scientific research in a mutually respectful and happy environment.”

In life, Fu Qiaomei has always loved sports, especially like projects such as rock climbing that require planning and technology. She said that some people try to give up at a certain point when they try to climb, and then they don't want to go up again because they don't want to face their own failure again.

"Climbing is to overcome this frustration. With the accumulation of experience and the improvement of technology, when you can cross the harder nodes and reach higher heights, you will definitely get double happiness." Fu Qiaomei said.

Mini Laser Distance Meter

JRT mini laser rangefinder is a portable and cute diastimeter, which is a very convenient measurement tool. We offers best quality Handheld Laser Distance Meter, accuracy laser range finder, best laser distance measurer, bluetooth Laser Distance Meter.

Our Professional R&D team has over 15 years of experience on the laser and measurement field , so we have made out the mini size laser distance module in the world. For the miniature laser distance meter, whether used for interior design, construction, real estate, the D30 styel is engineered to meet your measuring needs with six calculation functions: Area, Height, Volume, Area Summation, Addition/Subtraction, and indirect Pythagorean Theorem.

Compact and Handy design
♪ Mini design
♪ Fits comfortably in hand and easily in pocket
♪ High Accuracy ±1.5 mm & Make Job Easier
♪ Measuring range: 3cm to 30m
♪ Automatic calculation of area and volume

Small Laser Distance Module,Mini Laser Measure,Smallest Oem Laser Modules,Mini Laser Distance Meter

Chengdu JRT Meter Technology Co., Ltd , https://www.rangingsensor.com