Anthropology and Ancient DNA

Prof. Rachel Sarig

Prof. Sarig is at the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, where she is a principal investigator and the head of the Dental Anthropology Laboratory. Sarig is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, having completed her D.M.D. and her Ph.D. in anatomy and anthropology, and her post-graduate studies in orthodontics ( summa cum laude ), all at the Faculty of Medicine. Prof. Sarig is the Head of the Dan David Center for Human Evolution and Biohistory Research, and Head of the Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute.

Dental anthropology

Understanding who we are and where we come from can shed a light on our future . Many of the current oral diseases and malformations have their roots in our evolutionary history Knowing the evolutionary processes that led to the current shape and size of our skull and mandible may greatly bear on our understanding of phenomena such as malocclusions, dental malformations and oral diseases . Prof. Sarig’s main interest is in studying the evolutionary and environmental effects on oral health in prehistoric populations and their implications on modern societies . The study of the masticatory apparatus is conducted both on prehistoric and modern samples using laboratory models, micro -CT scans and clinical studies .