Hendrik Poinar

Biography

Associate Member Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences   Health Sciences Centre McMaster University Associate Member Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences   Health Sciences Centre McMaster University

Research Interest

He is molecular evolutionary geneticist and biological anthropologist by training, and rely heavily on interdisciplinary research. I use both chemical and molecular techniques to elucidate the state of preservation within forensic, archeological and paleontological remains. This information is subsequently used to devise novel techniques to extract the molecular information (DNA and/or protein sequences) which is then used to address evolutionary and anthropological questions, such as the "relatedness" of Archaic humans and Neanderthals from a genetic standpoint, sex and diet from prehistoric Native Amerindian hunter-gatherer populations using coprolites samples, and the timing and origin of HIV using archival blood and brain tissue samples.