Research
My research involves the use of molecular techniques to investigate evolutionary problems. I mainly use ancient DNA - DNA recovered from historical, archaeological and palaeontological materials - in these studies.
Biologists use evolutionary theory as a means to understand and explain the natural world. Two of the fundamental processes in evolution are extinction, where species die out, and speciation, where new species come into existence. It is particularly important to understand these processes at present, as climate and environment change seem to be having a major effect on the world's plants and animals. One way in which we try to understand how environmental changes affect living things is by studying past times and places where we know these changes occurred, trying to deduce what effect they had on the native animals and plants
Baidzherakh on the Bykovsky Peninsula, Laptev Sea (picture courtesy of Andrei Sher)courtesy of Andrei Sher)