Dr Craig Millar, of the Allan Wilson Centre.

Free but please register at connect@catalystnz.org

This Allan Wilson Centre for Ecology And Evolution talk, hosted by Catalyst Trust, will reveal how ever-advancing DNA research has allowed us to unlock some of the best kept secrets of New Zealand’s past.

Early forensic and ancient DNA methods could only recover small amounts of DNA information from relatively large quantities of well-preserved tissue. From these humble beginnings, ancient DNA research has now developed into a well-established research field used by biologists, geologists and anthropologists. Recent advances in DNA sequencing methods have led to the retrieval of entire ancient genomes from the extinct New Zealand moa and Egyptian bird mummies. Dr Craig Millar will outline this ever-advancing research field and discuss how it has allowed us to unlock some of the best-kept secrets of our recent past.

Craig is a principal investigator in the Allan Wilson Centre for Ecology and Evolution and an Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. He has also worked for Massey University and started his working life as a forensic scientist with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.