Retrieval of DNA from ancient material and the demography of the extinct aurochs

Abstract

Ancient DNA has revolutionised our understanding of animal genomics by providing direct evidence of the demography of ancient wild populations and unravelling the complex domestication process with time-stamped precision. Following over a decade of technological advancements and laboratory innovations, the first part of this thesis explores the retrieval of DNA from ancient and historical sources. These chapters leverage underutilised ancient materials, such mummified skin and coprolite, to test the limits of aDNA survival and reveal local histories of sheep and goat domestication. The second part of this thesis undertakes a large genomic survey of Bos primigenius - the extinct ancestors of modern cattle. An ancient dataset is curated with whole genome sequencing of 108 Bos individuals sampled from a period spanning 200,000 years. The mitochondrial, Y chromosomal and autosomal past of Bos primigenius is interrogated using population genomic analyses to illuminate the evolution, domestication and eventual extinction of this megafaunal Pleistocene animal.