Decoding human evolutionary history through the study of genetic polymorphisms

The origin and evolutionary history of humanity has been a subject of fascination throughout human existence. New data on human genetic variation is rapidly accumulating, while researchers scramble to understand it all. My research is focused on understanding the dynamics of genetic polymorphisms in order to reconstruct human history. Special properties of genetic loci and human behavior are combined to reconstruct the past using modern genetic data.; Human behavior, including cultural practices and gender roles, modifies the distribution of human variation. Sex-specific migration, cross-cultural contact, and geographic barriers can all influence the flow of genes within and between populations. Chapter 2 takes advantage of sex-specific genetic loci to highlight this influence of cultural practices on population genetic variation within the autonomous Russian republic of Daghestan, a land with contrasting histories of isolation and large-scale human migration.; The methods used to identify human genetic polymorphisms influence the results of population genetic research. Chapter 3 assesses the statistical significance of ascertainment bias on inferences of human population differentiation. This chapter discusses how the questions asked by a researcher when collecting data influence the results of subsequent research.; Understanding that the choice of genetic marker and the method chosen to identify marker polymorphisms both shape results of human genetic research, Chapter 4 develops and tests methods to better understand the dynamics of human-specific retrotransposons. These retrotransposons innately possess properties that make them well-suited to address questions on human evolutionary history. The method described in Chapter 4 takes advantage of these properties and combines them with a common ascertainment scheme to create and test a model of retrotransposon evolution. Once the dynamics of retrotransposons are well-characterized, their use as human evolutionary markers may continue with greater accuracy and precision.