Hannah Moots
@mootspoints.bsky.social
Archaeology and Ancient DNA 🧬
Mobility in the Iron Age and Roman Mediterranean 🏺
Human-Environment Interactions 🌱 🦣
Postdoct @cpgsthlm.bsky.social
https://mootspoints.blogspot.com/
Mobility in the Iron Age and Roman Mediterranean 🏺
Human-Environment Interactions 🌱 🦣
Postdoct @cpgsthlm.bsky.social
https://mootspoints.blogspot.com/
Pinned
Hannah Moots
@mootspoints.bsky.social
· Nov 22
Tides of History: S5 E102: Ancient DNA and the Iron Age Mediterranean: Interview with Dr. Hannah Moots
Ancient DNA has transformed our understanding of the more distant reaches of the human past, but what can it tell us about more recent ages of history? Dr. Hannah Moots has extensively investigated th...
wondery.com
The new episode of Tides of History is out today! It was truly a pleasure speaking with @patrickwyman.bsky.social about the Iron Age Mediterranean - everything from Carthage and the Phoenicians to the rise of Rome. wondery.com/shows/tides-...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
By the beginning of the Holocene, dogs already displayed extensive variation
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The emergence and diversification of dog morphology
Dogs exhibit an exceptional range of morphological diversity as a result of their long-term association with humans. Attempts to identify when dog morphological variation began to expand have been con...
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:41 AM
By the beginning of the Holocene, dogs already displayed extensive variation
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
💥New from me in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social
“Monuments, museums, and cultural institutions were often created in the image of “militarist realism”—presenting colonialism as eternal. Undoing this legacy is not erasing the past but combating a pernicious ideology”
jacobin.com/2025/11/brit...
“Monuments, museums, and cultural institutions were often created in the image of “militarist realism”—presenting colonialism as eternal. Undoing this legacy is not erasing the past but combating a pernicious ideology”
jacobin.com/2025/11/brit...
One Day, Britain’s Monuments Will Fall
Monuments, museums, and cultural institutions were often created in the image of “militarist realism,” presenting colonialism and enslavement as eternal. Undoing this legacy is not erasing the past bu...
jacobin.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:47 PM
💥New from me in @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social
“Monuments, museums, and cultural institutions were often created in the image of “militarist realism”—presenting colonialism as eternal. Undoing this legacy is not erasing the past but combating a pernicious ideology”
jacobin.com/2025/11/brit...
“Monuments, museums, and cultural institutions were often created in the image of “militarist realism”—presenting colonialism as eternal. Undoing this legacy is not erasing the past but combating a pernicious ideology”
jacobin.com/2025/11/brit...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Our paper on imputation of ancient goat genomes is now available at GBE - congratulations to @jolijnerven.bsky.social #aDNA
Inferring Domestic Goat Demographic History Through Ancient Genome Imputation
Abstract. Goats were among the earliest managed animals, making them a natural model to explore the genetic consequences of domestication. However, a chall
academic.oup.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Our paper on imputation of ancient goat genomes is now available at GBE - congratulations to @jolijnerven.bsky.social #aDNA
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Exciting new study led by @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @meaghanmarohn.bsky.social on the evolution of Lactase Persistence in South Asia.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revisiting the Evolution of Lactase Persistence: Insights from South Asian Genomes
Lactase persistence (LP), the ability to digest lactose from milk into adulthood, is a classic example of natural selection in humans. Multiple mutations upstream of the LCT gene are associated with L...
www.biorxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Exciting new study led by @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @meaghanmarohn.bsky.social on the evolution of Lactase Persistence in South Asia.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Meet our plenary speakers 💁♂️
CHRISTINA WARINNER (@harvard.edu)
@christinawarinner.bsky.social investigates ancient microbiomes to reveal insights into the diets and health of past human populations.
Conference info 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
⚠️ Abstract submission open! (deadline 30th Nov) ⚠️
CHRISTINA WARINNER (@harvard.edu)
@christinawarinner.bsky.social investigates ancient microbiomes to reveal insights into the diets and health of past human populations.
Conference info 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
⚠️ Abstract submission open! (deadline 30th Nov) ⚠️
November 7, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Meet our plenary speakers 💁♂️
CHRISTINA WARINNER (@harvard.edu)
@christinawarinner.bsky.social investigates ancient microbiomes to reveal insights into the diets and health of past human populations.
Conference info 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
⚠️ Abstract submission open! (deadline 30th Nov) ⚠️
CHRISTINA WARINNER (@harvard.edu)
@christinawarinner.bsky.social investigates ancient microbiomes to reveal insights into the diets and health of past human populations.
Conference info 👉 icp2026.palaeogenomics.org
⚠️ Abstract submission open! (deadline 30th Nov) ⚠️
Reposted by Hannah Moots
I’m really excited to be hosting @evoroseman.bsky.social for a 1 hour online workshop for the Biomolecular Humanities group on December 10th (8am to 9am PST : 11am to 12pm EST : 5pm to 6pm CET) on the intersection of evolutionary theory, demography and race/ancestry!
November 6, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I’m really excited to be hosting @evoroseman.bsky.social for a 1 hour online workshop for the Biomolecular Humanities group on December 10th (8am to 9am PST : 11am to 12pm EST : 5pm to 6pm CET) on the intersection of evolutionary theory, demography and race/ancestry!
New study on lactase persistence in South Asia uses ancient and modern genomes to explore how culture and genetics shaped its evolution history 🥛
My first preprint of my PhD! Thanks to @ekerdoncuff.bsky.social and @moorjanipriya.bsky.social for their guidance and mentorship in this project!
Revisiting the Evolution of Lactase Persistence: Insights from South Asian Genomes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.05.686799v1
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
New study on lactase persistence in South Asia uses ancient and modern genomes to explore how culture and genetics shaped its evolution history 🥛
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Why do complex traits differ in their genetic architecture?
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Simple scaling laws control the genetic architectures of human complex traits
Genome-wide association studies have revealed that the genetic architectures of complex traits vary widely. This study shows that differences in architectures of highly polygenic traits arise mainly f...
journals.plos.org
October 24, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Why do complex traits differ in their genetic architecture?
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
In our new PLOS Biology paper, we will try to convince you that two simple scaling laws drive differences in the number, effect sizes and frequencies of causal variants affecting complex traits.
Thread:
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
How do GWAS and rare variant burden tests rank gene signals?
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Specificity, length and luck drive gene rankings in association studies - Nature
Genetic association tests prioritize candidate genes based on different criteria.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:05 AM
How do GWAS and rare variant burden tests rank gene signals?
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Excited to share our latest work on the factors that determine what genes we find (and don't find!) in GWAS and burden tests.
We describe a critical concept that we call *specificity*.
Led by Jeff Spence and Hakhamanesh Mostafavi:
We describe a critical concept that we call *specificity*.
Led by Jeff Spence and Hakhamanesh Mostafavi:
How do GWAS and rare variant burden tests rank gene signals?
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In new work @nature.com with @hakha.bsky.social, @jkpritch.bsky.social, and our wonderful coauthors we find that the key factors are what we call Specificity, Length, and Luck!
🧬🧪🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Specificity, length and luck drive gene rankings in association studies - Nature
Genetic association tests prioritize candidate genes based on different criteria.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Excited to share our latest work on the factors that determine what genes we find (and don't find!) in GWAS and burden tests.
We describe a critical concept that we call *specificity*.
Led by Jeff Spence and Hakhamanesh Mostafavi:
We describe a critical concept that we call *specificity*.
Led by Jeff Spence and Hakhamanesh Mostafavi:
Reposted by Hannah Moots
bro are you fucking kidding me
![quote from the Economist article which says "[study authors] are now looking at whether AI facial analysis can give lenders useful clues about a person’s propensity to repay loans. For people without access to credit, that could be a blessing."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:6ofjbklfvptnupad4lxumblw/bafkreia3yctiqd7ejumpd6novxjpiycphtfkc3bdgd573jw37faqdl7o7m@jpeg)
November 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
bro are you fucking kidding me
How time, climate, and storage shape DNA survival in herbarium specimens - and why plants from the tropics face tougher odds 🌿🧬
#AncientDNA
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#AncientDNA
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
November 4, 2025 at 8:32 PM
How time, climate, and storage shape DNA survival in herbarium specimens - and why plants from the tropics face tougher odds 🌿🧬
#AncientDNA
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#AncientDNA
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Where my love of mosaics began! I was lucky enough to work at Chedworth Roman Villa, shortly after they were excavated - We stabilized loose tesserae using reversible materials so these 1,500-year-old floors can keep telling their story. #MosaicMonday mootspoints.blogspot.com/2025/02/mosa...
November 3, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Where my love of mosaics began! I was lucky enough to work at Chedworth Roman Villa, shortly after they were excavated - We stabilized loose tesserae using reversible materials so these 1,500-year-old floors can keep telling their story. #MosaicMonday mootspoints.blogspot.com/2025/02/mosa...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Looking down on the elegant mosaic in the west wing corridor of Chedworth Roman villa for #MosaicMonday
November 3, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Looking down on the elegant mosaic in the west wing corridor of Chedworth Roman villa for #MosaicMonday
Reposted by Hannah Moots
✨Thrilled to share that the first chapter of my Ph.D. thesis is NOW OUT in Science Advances! ✨🥳🎉 🧬. This couldn't have been possible without the support of everyone involved
@genscapelab.bsky.social, @nirajrai.bsky.social, @cdelafc.bsky.social, @jaurban2204.bsky.social, @mootspoints.bsky.social
@genscapelab.bsky.social, @nirajrai.bsky.social, @cdelafc.bsky.social, @jaurban2204.bsky.social, @mootspoints.bsky.social
1/n Delighted to share our newly published work in Science Advances, investigating human genetic histories at the northern frontier of the Himalayas 🧬🏔️:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Dynamic human admixture histories over the past ~1300 years at the northern Himalayan frontier
Ancient and present-day human genomes shed light on ~1300 years of genetic admixture and continuity in the northern Himalayas.
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:44 PM
✨Thrilled to share that the first chapter of my Ph.D. thesis is NOW OUT in Science Advances! ✨🥳🎉 🧬. This couldn't have been possible without the support of everyone involved
@genscapelab.bsky.social, @nirajrai.bsky.social, @cdelafc.bsky.social, @jaurban2204.bsky.social, @mootspoints.bsky.social
@genscapelab.bsky.social, @nirajrai.bsky.social, @cdelafc.bsky.social, @jaurban2204.bsky.social, @mootspoints.bsky.social
Reposted by Hannah Moots
1/n Delighted to share our newly published work in Science Advances, investigating human genetic histories at the northern frontier of the Himalayas 🧬🏔️:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Dynamic human admixture histories over the past ~1300 years at the northern Himalayan frontier
Ancient and present-day human genomes shed light on ~1300 years of genetic admixture and continuity in the northern Himalayas.
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:07 PM
1/n Delighted to share our newly published work in Science Advances, investigating human genetic histories at the northern frontier of the Himalayas 🧬🏔️:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
In case you missed it, catch the Question of Science podcast on ancient DNA on your favorite platform. We cover why ancient DNA studies can make a difference not only to understanding history, but also health and disease.
NEW EPISODE: Who are our ancestors and why does it matter?
Join our expert panellists as they answer audience questions about ancient DNA.
Listen on your favourite podcast platform: lnk.to/AQOSAncientD...
Join our expert panellists as they answer audience questions about ancient DNA.
Listen on your favourite podcast platform: lnk.to/AQOSAncientD...
October 28, 2025 at 3:49 PM
In case you missed it, catch the Question of Science podcast on ancient DNA on your favorite platform. We cover why ancient DNA studies can make a difference not only to understanding history, but also health and disease.
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Once again urging archaeologists to critically assess the AI push into archaeology. There is a huge swath of problematic ethical issues that come with the AI tech & tech lords & we don't have to make it easier for them to insert themselves in archaeology by welcoming them in. Don't be complicit.
🏺
🏺
October 29, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Once again urging archaeologists to critically assess the AI push into archaeology. There is a huge swath of problematic ethical issues that come with the AI tech & tech lords & we don't have to make it easier for them to insert themselves in archaeology by welcoming them in. Don't be complicit.
🏺
🏺
Reposted by Hannah Moots
A new high-coverage #Denisovan genome, chock-full of fascinating new information. Must-read study by @stephanepeyregne.bsky.social @janetk.bsky.social and colleagues
On @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social: 🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
On @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social: 🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A high-coverage genome from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan
Denisovans, an extinct sister group of Neandertals who lived in Eastern Eurasia during the Middle and Late Pleistocene, are known only from a handful of skeletal remains and limited genetic data, incl...
www.biorxiv.org
October 21, 2025 at 4:58 AM
A new high-coverage #Denisovan genome, chock-full of fascinating new information. Must-read study by @stephanepeyregne.bsky.social @janetk.bsky.social and colleagues
On @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social: 🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
On @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social: 🧪🧬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Measurement underpins all science. Yet, in microbiome studies, subtle differences in lab protocols can profoundly alter results. In our new study, we compare DNA extraction and library prep methods to assess their impact on ancient oral microbiome recovery. Our results show that no single approach
October 6, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Measurement underpins all science. Yet, in microbiome studies, subtle differences in lab protocols can profoundly alter results. In our new study, we compare DNA extraction and library prep methods to assess their impact on ancient oral microbiome recovery. Our results show that no single approach
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Friends, please share the attached CfP widely and consider submission: "Climate, landscape and human impact in Italy during the Etruscan period" (Pisa, May 25-27, 2026).
Deadline for submissions is February 13, 2026, more info here: etrusco.dst.unipi.it
Deadline for submissions is February 13, 2026, more info here: etrusco.dst.unipi.it
October 17, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Friends, please share the attached CfP widely and consider submission: "Climate, landscape and human impact in Italy during the Etruscan period" (Pisa, May 25-27, 2026).
Deadline for submissions is February 13, 2026, more info here: etrusco.dst.unipi.it
Deadline for submissions is February 13, 2026, more info here: etrusco.dst.unipi.it
Reposted by Hannah Moots
Excellent aDNA and matrilocality paper in the @tracconference.bsky.social #Archaeology #AncientBluesky ⚱️🦋
October 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Excellent aDNA and matrilocality paper in the @tracconference.bsky.social #Archaeology #AncientBluesky ⚱️🦋
Reposted by Hannah Moots
October 23, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Reposted by Hannah Moots
I am so proud of @spasqualetti.bsky.social and this BioRxiv paper! I have to prep for class, but later today I'll highlight some of her findings about a stickleback gut isolate that can degrade plastic and other microbes that inhibit it's ability. 🦠🔬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Cold-water gut isolate from threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) reveals polypropylene surface oxidation and co-culture inhibition
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP), two of the most widely produced plastics in the United States, persist in cold-water environments where plastic-degrading microbes have been po...
www.biorxiv.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I am so proud of @spasqualetti.bsky.social and this BioRxiv paper! I have to prep for class, but later today I'll highlight some of her findings about a stickleback gut isolate that can degrade plastic and other microbes that inhibit it's ability. 🦠🔬
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Hannah Moots
MSc by Res opportunity - developing behavioural indicators to inform killer whale conservation with
@exeter.ac.uk @whaleresearch.bsky.social @seadocsociety.bsky.social
People from underrepresented groups in marine science encouraged to apply.
Deadline 19Dec
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
@exeter.ac.uk @whaleresearch.bsky.social @seadocsociety.bsky.social
People from underrepresented groups in marine science encouraged to apply.
Deadline 19Dec
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
October 22, 2025 at 10:44 AM
MSc by Res opportunity - developing behavioural indicators to inform killer whale conservation with
@exeter.ac.uk @whaleresearch.bsky.social @seadocsociety.bsky.social
People from underrepresented groups in marine science encouraged to apply.
Deadline 19Dec
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
@exeter.ac.uk @whaleresearch.bsky.social @seadocsociety.bsky.social
People from underrepresented groups in marine science encouraged to apply.
Deadline 19Dec
www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...