Prof. Liran Carmel | Ancient DNA is rewriting human evolution: A journey through genetics and

The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities presented the 2025 Charles Darwin Memorial Lecture, delivered by Prof. Liran Carmel, a leading researcher in ancient DNA and human evolution.
"Ancient DNA is rewriting human evolution, A journey through genetics and epigenetics", Speaker, Prof. Liran Carmel, Department of Genetics, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The lecture was delivered on December 3, 2025, at The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem.

In recent decades, advances in ancient DNA technologies have enabled scientists to extract and sequence genetic material from long-deceased individuals. These developments transformed the study of human origins into a data-rich scientific field and reshaped our understanding of how modern humans evolved. They revealed our connections with archaic relatives such as Neanderthals and Denisovans and shed light on migration patterns that shaped contemporary populations.

In this lecture, Prof. Carmel explored how both genetics, the study of DNA sequences, and epigenetics, the chemical modifications that influence gene activity, provide new insights into the human past. He explained what ancient DNA is, highlighted major achievements in the field, and demonstrated how these discoveries have rewritten the narrative of human evolution and deepened our understanding of who we are.

Greetings: Prof. David Harel, President of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Chair: Prof. Joseph Kost, Chairperson, Sciences Division of the Academy
For more information: https://www.academy.ac.il/Index/Entry...
For past Darwin Annual Lectures:    • The Annual Lecture in Memory of Charles Da...  

#ancientdna #humanevolution #genetics #epigenetics #humanorigins #neanderthals #denisovans #evolutionarybiology