Chris Tyler-Smith
Human Evolution
Chris heads up the Human Evolution team. His background is in human molecular and evolutionary genetics. While researching the structure and function of human centromeres at the University of Oxford, Chris developed an interest in using variants on the Y chromosome to study human history and evolution.
In 2003, Chris moved to The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute to concentrate fully on human evolution. Although his interest in the use of the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA to study human history continues, particularly as part of the Genographic Project, most of his work now focuses on investigating the way natural selection across the whole genome has shaped modern humans. Chris is involved in projects to understand and interpret genetic variation, including structural variation, in human populations, such as the Genome Structural Variation consortium and the 1000 Genomes Project.
A more detailed overview of how research is providing insights into the changes in the human genome over time and the evolutionary development of modern humans can be found on the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute website at http://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/press/features/genomic-archaeology.html Genomic Archaeology (PDF)
The interview clips
Clips 1-3 were filmed for the release of a study on the 27th March, 2008, which focused on human ancestry and migration in the world's ancient crossroads - Lebanon. The press release for the study can be found at http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Info/Press/2008/080327.shtml
