PhD program in
  Genetics and Molecular and Structural Evolution  
Coordinated by Prof. Mariano Rocchi

  Anthropological and molecular aspects of human biodiversity,
with particular attention to the New Guinea island and the surrounding areas

  M.Tommaseo


The history of human migrations from Eastern Indonesia to New Guinea is studied through mtDNA and Y Chromosome polymorphisms analysis, taking into account climatic and geomorphological events that shaped settlement and adaptation patterns in this region in the Pleistocene. Animal introduction and domestication is also considered - through molecular variability of Sus Scrofa – as an indicator of human migrations in New Guinea


Published papers (selection) (click to download the pdf)

Mona S, Tommaseo-Ponzetta M, Brauer S, Sudoyo H, Marzuki S, Kayser M: Patterns of Y-chromosome diversity intersect with the trans-New Guinea hypothesis. Molecular biology and evolution 24:2546-2555 (2007)

Mona S, Randi E, Tommaseo-Ponzetta M: Evolutionary history of the genus Sus inferred from cytochrome b sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45:757-762 (2007)

Accetturo M, Santamaria M, Lascaro D, Rubino F, Achilli A, Torroni A, Tommaseo-Ponzetta M, Attimonelli M: Human mtDNA site-specific variability values can act as haplogroup markers. Hum Mutat 27:965-974 (2006)

Kayser M, Brauer S, Weiss G, Schiefenhövel W, Underhill P, Shen P, Oefner P, Tommaseo-Ponzetta M, Stoneking M: Reduced Y-chromosome, but not mitochondrial DNA, diversity in human populations from West New Guinea. Am J Hum Genet 72:281-302 (2003)

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