Christina Warinner

Last updated
Christina Warinner
Warinner-headshot-3.png
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Harvard University
University of Kansas
Known forTEDx talk Debunking the Paleo Diet
AwardsUS National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellowship (2014), TED Fellowship 2012
Scientific career
Fields Archaeogenetics
Molecular anthropology
Institutions Harvard University
Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History
Website christinawarinner.com

Christina Warinner is an American anthropologist best known for her research on the evolution of ancient microbiomes. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Harvard University and the Sally Starling Seaver Assistant Professor at the Radcliffe Institute. Warinner is also a Research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.

Contents

Biography

Christina Warinner obtained a PhD from Harvard University in 2010. From 2010 – 2012, Warinner completed postdoctoral training at the University of Zurich's Centre for Evolutionary Medicine. Warinner's research explored the relationship between disease, diet and the environment by analyzing DNA extracted from ancient dental plaque. [1] [2]

Warinner furthered her postdoctoral studies at the University of Oklahoma from 2012 to 2014, and she continued there as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and a Presidential Research Professor from 2014-2019. [3] "A top priority in Warinner's laboratory is to compile DNA and protein inventories from dental calculus (calcified dental plaque) found in skeletal collections from museums and archaeological sites from around the world with the goal of discovering how human health and diet have changed throughout history." [4]

Since 2016, Warinner has led a research team in the archaeogenetics department at Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. Warinner's research focuses on ancestral human microbiomes. Recent projects include "Dairying and Dietary Adaptive Evolution in Prehistory", "Evolution and Ecology of the Human Gut Microbiome" and "Evolution and Ecology of the Human Oral Microbiome". Research she led found the exotic mineral Lapis Lazuli in the plaque of a female skeleton found in a cemetery in Dalheim in Germany. A 2017 report detailed that the plaque dating from 1100 AD contained fragments of this bright blue paint pigment indicates that women as well as men were involved in creating illuminated manuscripts. It is presumed that the woman used her lips to shape her brush as she worked painting bright blue. [5]

Warinner was named a TED fellow in 2012 [6] and a US National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow in 2014. [7] She gave a TED talk in February 2012 on the evolution of infectious disease and diet in humans. In January 2013 Warinner gave a TEDx talk titled "Debunking the Paleo Diet". [6]

Warinner joined the anthropology department at Harvard University in 2019 and the Sally Starling Seaver Assistant Professor at the Radcliffe Institute. [8] Warinner is also a Research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany. [9]

Selected publications

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calculus (dental)</span> Form of hardened dental plaque

In dentistry, calculus or tartar is a form of hardened dental plaque. It is caused by precipitation of minerals from saliva and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) in plaque on the teeth. This process of precipitation kills the bacterial cells within dental plaque, but the rough and hardened surface that is formed provides an ideal surface for further plaque formation. This leads to calculus buildup, which compromises the health of the gingiva (gums). Calculus can form both along the gumline, where it is referred to as supragingival, and within the narrow sulcus that exists between the teeth and the gingiva, where it is referred to as subgingival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology</span> German research institute

The Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology performs basic research into archaeological science. The institute is one of more than 80 research institutes of the Max Planck Society and is located in Jena, Germany.

Philip Lieberman was a cognitive scientist at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Originally trained in phonetics, he wrote a dissertation on intonation. His career focused on topics in the evolution of language, and particularly the relationship between the evolution of the vocal tract, the human brain, and the evolution of speech, cognition and language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oral microbiology</span>

Oral microbiology is the study of the microorganisms (microbiota) of the oral cavity and their interactions between oral microorganisms or with the host. The environment present in the human mouth is suited to the growth of characteristic microorganisms found there. It provides a source of water and nutrients, as well as a moderate temperature. Resident microbes of the mouth adhere to the teeth and gums to resist mechanical flushing from the mouth to stomach where acid-sensitive microbes are destroyed by hydrochloric acid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Jacques Hublin</span> French paleoanthropologist

Jean-Jacques Hublin is a French paleoanthropologist. He is a professor at the Max Planck Society, Leiden University and the University of Leipzig and the founder and director of the Department of Human Evolution at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. He is best known for his work on the Pleistocene hominins, and on the Neandertals and early Homo sapiens, in particular.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scladina</span> Caves and archaeological site in Belgium

Scladina, or Sclayn Cave, is an archaeological site located in Wallonia in the town of Sclayn, in the Andenne hills in Belgium, where excavations since 1978 have provided the material for an exhaustive collection of over thirteen thousand Mousterian stone artifacts and the fossilized remains of an especially ancient Neanderthal, called the Scladina child were discovered in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Krause</span> German biochemist, geneticist and paleontologist

Johannes Krause is a German biochemist with a research focus on historical infectious diseases and human evolution. Since 2010, he has been professor of archaeology and paleogenetics at the University of Tübingen. In 2014, Krause was named a founding co-director of the new Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena.

Alan Cooper is a New Zealand evolutionary biologist and an ancient DNA researcher. He was involved in several important early ancient DNA studies, such as the first sequencing of moa genomes. He was the inaugural director of both the Henry Wellcome Ancient Biomolecules Centre at the University of Oxford from 2001–2005, and the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide, South Australia from 2005–2019.

Sabine Renate Huebner/Hübner is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Basel (Switzerland) and Head of Department. She is an expert on the religious and social history of antiquity, particularly of Graeco-Roman Egypt.

The creation of the Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM) was announced in February 2017 at Harvard University. It was inaugurated with a workshop and a signing ceremony at Harvard University on October 10, 2017, when the president of the Max Planck Society, Martin Stratmann, and Harvard's vice-provost for international affairs signed a five-year agreement.

The Initiative for the Science of the Human Past at Harvard (SoHP) is a trans-disciplinary research endeavor aimed at combining next-generation technology and scientific research with established methods of historical investigation. The Initiative currently sponsors four major projects: 1) The History of Climate Change, in collaboration with the Climate Change Institute . 2) The Max Planck Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean (MHAAM), in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. 3) The Isotopic Silk Road. 4) The Digital Atlas of Roman and Medieval Civilizations (DARMC) combining highly detailed data from researchers worldwide.

Soro Mik'aya Patjxa is a high-altitude archaeological site located in the Ilave Basin in Peru, about 30 km (19 mi) west of the current shoreline of Lake Titicaca. Soro Mik'aya Patjxa was a seasonal residential site that was reused consistently by hunter-gatherers over a period of over a thousand years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Stone (academic)</span> American anthropological geneticist

Anne C. Stone is an American anthropological geneticist and a Regents' Professor in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. Her research focuses on population history and understanding how humans and the great apes have adapted to their environments, including their disease and dietary environments. Stone is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya M. Smith</span> Evolutionary biologist and researcher

Tanya M. Smith is a human evolutionary biologist, and Professor at the Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University.

Katerina Douka is an archaeological scientist whose work focuses on the spatio-temporal pattern of human dispersals and extinctions across Eurasia, including Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern Homo sapiens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camilla Speller</span> Biomolecular archaeologist and researcher

Camilla F. Speller is a biomolecular archaeologist, Assistant Professor in Anthropological Archaeology at the University of British Columbia Department of Anthropology.

B. Holly Smith is an American biological anthropologist. She is currently a research professor in the Center for Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology at The George Washington University. She is also a visiting research professor at the University of Michigan Museum of Anthropological Archaeology. The majority of her work is concentrated in evolutionary biology, paleoanthropology, life history, and dental anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wengrow</span> British archaeologist

David Wengrow is a British archaeologist and Professor of Comparative Archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. He co-authored the international bestseller The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity which was a finalist for the Orwell Prize in 2022. Wengrow has contributed essays on topics such as social inequality and climate change to The Guardian and The New York Times. In 2021 he was ranked No. 10 in ArtReview's Power 100 list of the most influential people in art.

Michael Phillip Richards is an archaeological scientist, researcher and an academic. He is an archaeology Professor at Simon Fraser University and Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Archaeological Science, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (London) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Richards has published more than 300 research articles. His research focuses on studying the diets diet evolution and migrations of past humans and animals using various techniques such as isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating. His work is highly cited and has gathered media coverage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution of the human oral microbiome</span>

The evolution of the human oral microbiome is the study of microorganisms in the oral cavity and how they have adapted over time. There are recent advancements in ancient dental research that have given insight to the evolution of the human oral microbiome. Using these techniques it is now known what metabolite classes have been preserved and the difference in genetic diversity that exists from ancient to modern microbiota. The relationship between oral microbiota and its human host has changed and this transition can directly be linked to common diseases in human evolutionary past. Evolutionary medicine provides a framework for reevaluating oral health and disease and biological anthropology provides the context to identify the ancestral human microbiome. These disciplines together give insights into the oral microbiome and can potentially help contribute to restoring and maintaining oral health in the future.

References

  1. Honigsbaum, Mark (2012-07-28). "Interview: Christina Warinner: it's a good thing our ancestors didn't floss their teeth By Interview by Mark Honigsbaum". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  2. "Dr. Christina Warinner Dr. Christina Warinner". Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Christina Warinner Assistant Professor". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. Gannon, Megan (2015). "Meet the Dentist to the Dead". Scientific American. 313 (4): 22. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican1015-22.
  5. "Medieval woman artist unmasked by her teeth". Culture & History. 2019-01-09. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  6. 1 2 3 "TED Speaker TED Fellow TED Attendee Christina Warinner Archaeological geneticist". TED.com. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Distinguished Young Scientists Selected to Participate in Kavli Frontiers of Science Symposia". National Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  8. "Sally Starling Seaver Assistant Professor". Radcliffe Institute. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  9. "Harvard Assistant Professor". Harvard University. Retrieved 6 July 2019.