Episode

Dr. Raquel Fleskes – Using Ancient DNA to interpret historical sites

Podcast
AnthroBiology Podcast
Published
Jun 30, 2026
Duration seconds
2963
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Markdown
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Summary

Dr. Raquel Fleskes of Dartmouth joins the show to talk about her work using ancient DNA to uncover the past in the Tidewater and South Carolina. Most people think about ancient DNA being used for, well, ancient skeletons, but ancient DNA can also be used in more recent contexts to illuminate the near past. We also chatted about ways to make ancient DNA work more accessible to descendent communities. Recommendations Dr. Fleske's lab page Dr. Fleske's staff profile at Dartmouth Dr. Fleske's Google Scholar page Jamestown Rediscovery website Fleskes, R. E., H. M. Palacios, H. Budner, et al. (2025). " Archaeogenomic Analysis of Nineteenth-Century Burials at Saint Mary's Basilica: An Intersectional Analysis of Religion, Race, and Migration. " Am J Biol Anthropol, 187, no. 4: e70110. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.70110. Masur, L., Fleskes, R., Schurr, T., Brown, D., Harpole, T., Pollard, P., Alukonis, L., Horsley, T., et al. (2025). " Let Perpetual Light Shine upon Them": Forgetting and Remembering Segregated Catholic Cemeteries ." American Antiquity. 91. 1-24. 10.1017/aaq.2025.10103. Fleskes, R.E., Gilmore, J.K., Oubré, L.S., Ofunniyin, A.A., Cabana, G.S. and Schurr, T.G. (2025). " Immersive Videography of Ancient DNA Extraction for Community Engagement and Educational Initiatives by the Anson Street African Burial Ground Project ." Am J Biol Anthropol, 186: e25055. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25055 Fleskes, R.E., Johnson, S.J., Honap, T.P. et al. (2024). " Oral microbial diversity in 18th century African individuals from South Carolina ." Commun Biol 7 , 1213. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-024-06893-0 R.E. Fleskes, G.S. Cabana, J.K. Gilmore, C. Juarez, E. Karcher, L. Oubré, G. Mishoe, A.A. Ofunniyin, & T.G. Schurr. (2023). " Community-engaged ancient DNA project reveals di…