Ancient DNA and modern genomes can reveal stories of past peoples, from the Iron Age to Chernobyl, geneticist says

A picture of Ingrida Domarkienė sat at a lab bench using a marker to write on a test tube. She is wearing a white lab coat. .

Ingrida Domarkienė studies ancient DNA, weaving together fragments of genetic material from modern humans and our long-extinct human relatives to retell their stories.

From a background in molecular biology and medical genetics, Domarkienė now spearheads Lithuania's first ancient DNA lab, headquartered at the Medical Science Centre at Vilnius University. Along with international collaborators, the lab is studying the remains of people in medieval mass graves in Poland to learn about social practices that were prevalent in the region at the time, as well as the migrations of Iron Age individuals in Lithuania.