Our laboratory uses ancient DNA and modern genomics to study human population history
Our research
Tracing the genetic histories of the Caribbean and Latin America
We combine genetic and anthropological perspectives to understand how historical and evolutionary processes impact human biological diversity, culture and health.
We are especially interested in revisiting colonial narratives about historically excluded communities across the Americas.
Teaching and Mentoring
We train students and junior researchers from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences
Our team is committed to advancing ethical research practices, diversity and equity in anthropological genetics.
In the News
Engage with media coverage about our research
Our 2020 study was beautifully described by Ed Yong, science writer for The Atlantic in his piece How Ancient DNA Can Help Recast Colonial History. The article details our main findings and its ramifications for reconstructing the pre-contact histories of Puerto Ricans and other Caribbean islanders
You can also read more about our lab’s current research projects in this article by the UMN College of Liberal Arts Genetics Lab to Revisit the Past.
Maria was featured on the PBS documentary Voces American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos.
“Genetic ancestry in Puerto Ricans Afro-descendants” now published in the American Journal of Biological Anthropology
The UMN Anthropological Genetics Lab visits the Anthropology Club at Eden Prairie High School
Recording of conversation with Kevin Alicea Torres at the University of Puerto Rico Humacao STEAM + Storytelling event in May 2021. [En español]
Recorded roundtable discussion session fro, the 2020 American Anthropological Association virtual meetings
Press coverage and information on article: Nägele et al (2020). Genomic insights into the early peopling of the Caribbean. Science
In this episode of the Sausage of Science Dr. Maria Nieves-Colón, an anthropological geneticist, discusses how she uses both ancient DNA and modern genomics tools to examine human population history in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Our research on ancient DNA from Puerto Rico has featured in several media outlets, in Puerto Rico and the USA
On teaching a special workshop in Paleogenomics and Anthropology at the National School of Anthropology in Mexico City
Public round table on race, racism and anthropology at Museo Nacional de Antropología de Mexico [ En español]