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The microARCH Lab and the Penn State Ancient Biomolecules Research Environment (PSABRE) in the Anthropology Department at PSU are excited to announce two new research position openings for motivated scholars eager to work at the forefront of microbial genomics, aDNA, and biomolecular anthropology

Building Consensus on Reporting Oral Microbiome Metadata: A Community Survey Building Consensus on Reporting Oral Microbiome Metadata: A Community Survey

Are you involved in oral microbiome research (current or past)? Please take this anonymous survey on reporting practices in oral microbiome studies, aimed at improving consistency + reproducibility in the field. You may skip any questions. Survey link: asu.questionpro.com/t/Abm07Z7MY3
Please share!

Wet Lab Protocols Matter: Choice of DNA Extraction and Library Preparation Protocols Bias Ancient Oral Microbiome Recovery Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of archaeological dental calculus has provided a wealth of insights into ancient health, demography and lifestyles. However, the workflow for ancient metagenomics is still...

New study highlights how wet lab protocols shape ancient oral microbiome recovery from dental calculus showing that DNA extraction & library prep choices can influence recovery, diversity, and microbial authenticity.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Check it out today!!!!

Matters Microbial #108: Neanderthal Oral Health, Ancient Bacteria and DNA YouTube video by MicrobeTV

Another week, another episode of #MattersMicrobial podcast! This time, @lauraweyrich.bsky.social of Penn State discusses what bacterial DNA from ancient dental plaque can tell us. Please spread the #GoodMicrobialWord. @univpugetsound @asmicrobiology @microbe.tv

youtu.be/6Bc5jhCDWg8?...

Checkout this recent publication on how host traits impact the success of library preparation from #dentalcalculus across mammals
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Ancient host-associated microbes obtained from mammoth remains A study of 483 mammoth remains spanning over a million years reveals ancient host-associated microbes preserved in bones and teeth, offering new insights into the long-term evolution of Pleistocene mi...

Recent #ancientDNA publication on ancient host associated from 483 mammoth remains including unpublished samples from a 1.1 million year old steppe mammoth
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Checkout this new #ancientDNA research published today on mastodons significantly revising the previous understanding of their evolutionary history!

Columbian mammoth mitogenomes from Mexico uncover the species’ complex evolutionary history Paleogenomic studies suggest that Mammuthus columbi derives from an ancient hybridization between Mammuthus primigenius and Mammuthus trogontherii. While its habitat spanned from North to Central Amer...

Interesting new publication using #ancientDNA from Columbian mammoth from Mexico showing they are genetically distinct from other N.American mammoths.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

@microarch-lab.bsky.social was lucky enough to host and work with @bbonucci.bsky.social this summer. Checkout her recent publication on retrieving #ancientDNA from concretions from human remains!

Ancient DNA reveals farming spread through migration, locals slow to adopt it | Penn State University Roughly 10,000 years ago, humans started shifting from being nomadic hunter-gatherers to building large agricultural settlements, marking one of the greatest transformations in human history. For deca...

www.psu.edu/news/researc...

Modeling the European Neolithic expansion suggests predominant within-group mating and limited cultural transmission - Nature Communications The Neolithic Revolution marked an important shift from foraging to farming in human society. Here, the authors show that in Europe the spread of farming involved mostly within-group mating and limite...

Checkout a recent publication from the Huber lab using #ancientDNA to measure how migration & cultural adoption each contributed to the expansion of farming. Migration of farming groups was the dominant factor & cultural adoption by hunter-gatherers was minimal.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Are you at #WAC2025? Don’t miss Laura Weyrich’s (@lauraweyrich.bsky.social) Tuesday AM talk in Session T25/S01 – Historical Archaeology: Entanglements of Colonialism and Capitalism Across the Globe.
Paper title: "Understanding How the Industrial Revolution Reshaped the Global Oral Microbiome."

Congrats to @lauraweyrich.bsky.social & the Oral Microbiome Transplant team on receiving GAP funding for:
“Oral Microbiome Transplants (OMT) Therapy to Prevent Dental Decay” 🦷🦠

This work explores using helpful bacteria to reseed the mouth and reduce cavities.

We are excited to be hosting Biancamaria Bonucci, a PhD student from the University of Tartu (Estonia 🇪🇪)! She's here to expand her bioinformatics skills and collaborate on a project studying the oral microbiomes of smokers, with the goal of better understanding ancient health and lifestyle patterns

Happy to announce that our postdoc, Dr. Allison Ham will be joining Grand Valley State University as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences this fall! Here she will be teaching human gross anatomy, mentoring future health professionals, and joining an outstanding academic community.

Big congratulations to our amazing undergrad, Ava Gabrys, on completing her degree! This fall, Ava is headed to the University of Florida to begin a PhD in Biology, where she’ll be building on her work with the microARCH team to study microbial dispersal and transmission across landscapes.

Check out Christine Ta’s poster (Presentation 230) tomorrow at the Penn State Graduate Exhibition! She’ll be presenting at the HUB-Robeson Center, Alumni and Heritage Hall, from 1–4 PM. Don’t miss it!

Our grad students are out in full force at the AABAs!! #bioanth

Good job today, Christine !!

The microARCH lab was well represented at Penn State's Eberly College of Science #ENVISION2025 outreach aimed at exposing underrepresented groups to the STEM field.

Check out our undergrad Ava Gabrys’ poster presentation (Poster No. 57) at the upcoming Penn State Undergraduate Symposium!
Date: April 16th
Time: 11 AM – 1 PM
Location: HUB – Alumni Hall

The microARCH team showed up strong at AnthroFest!
We had a great time sharing microbiome science through interactive games and conversations about why microbes matter—for our health, our history, and our future.

Great representation at the ##AABA2025

Great representation at the #AABA2025

Great representation at the #AABA2025

Are you attending the Animals Make Identities Meeting? Check out Juliana's @wicedjuju.bsky.social talk tomorrow on "Inferences on the diets and lifestyles of YOO ancestors made from ancient DNA preserved in dental calculus"

Are you heading to #AABA2025? Check out these talks and posters from MicroARCH Lab members!

Iyunoluwa Ademola-Popoola – Industrialization dramatically impacts oral microbiota on a multi-continental scale
Session 10 | 11:45 AM - 12:00 PM |Friday, March 14

Protect US racial affinity groups On its first day, the Trump administration released several executive orders terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, calling them “illegal,” “immoral,” and “discriminatory” (1, 2)...

Important read for everyone interested in STEM diversity! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... #STEM #DiversityInScience #EquityInAction"