Varanasi: Banaras Hindu University, in collaboration with the Anthropological Survey of India (AnSI), will host a two-day symposium titled BHU-AnSI Paleogenomics and Paleoarchaeology Symposium on March 23 and 24 at the department of Zoology.Prof B V Sharma, director, AnSI, said that this high-profile academic workshop aims to bring together leading national and international experts in ancient DNA (aDNA) research, palaeoanthropology, gut microbiome studies, and population genomics. The primary goal is to identify research priorities, strengthen institutional infrastructure, and establish collaborative frameworks for a major international project that integrates deep human evolutionary history with modern genomic science.The symposium will feature focused discussions on key themes, including enhancing research infrastructure for advanced genomic and anthropological studies, bridging critical gaps between ancient and modern genomic datasets, exploring national and international collaboration opportunities, and developing strategies to connect ancient DNA evidence with contemporary population genomics. The event will include panel discussions on biological anthropology research opportunities, microbial genomics and infectious diseases, technical challenges in aDNA and paleoanthropology in India, population genomics, and archaeological perspectives, along with sessions on paleoclimatology and animal domestication.Prof Sharma said that the initiative is seen as a pivotal step towards positioning South Asia at the forefront of global debates on human evolution, uniting archaeology, anthropology, and genomics to unlock new dimensions of our shared human past.
