Unravelling early human migration in southern South America using Darwin's Fuegian lice

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The Henry Denny Anoplura collection at Oxford University Museum of Natural History contains ~3,000 lice in 600 'lots'. Many of them were collected by Charles Darwin, Alfred Wallace and other contemporary entomologists. Lice from human hosts include those from extinct tribes, and from animals such as the Tasmanian wolf. Most of these specimens contain the last blood meal of their host. The collection remains untouched since its arrival in the Museum (1871), and only unpublished archival catalogues exist on its contents and value. The collection in its current state has little scientific value; we therefore propose to digitize, research the archives, re-curate specimens, identify/image each species, aiming to make the collection available on-line to the public and scientific community.

We propose to sequence the DNA of the lice and the mtDNA of the blood meal collected from Chonos and from Haush (Fuegians). We developed a feasibility test that guarantees good yielding of DNA from both lice and host-blood. Assuming a worst-case scenario of only 0.1 % endogenous DNA, we propose extraction of DNA with a silica-capture method for DNA shorter than 40 bp and build Gansauge & Meyer single-strand DNA libraries. We aim at sequencing all extant lice genomes at 20 x coverage with 125 PE, extinct lice genomes at 4 x coverage with 75 PE, and extinct human mitochondria at 40 x coverage 75 PE, all on HiSeq 2500. The sequencing results will be used to answer hypothesis about the peopling of South America, eg, the contribution of Polynesians, to investigate the transfer of lice from humans to primates and primates to humans, and to date precisely the split of clade A, B and C lice in order to determine the identity and time of the two exchanges of head lice between the modern human lineage and two archaic human lineages or species.

This proposal will contribute to the nation's culture. It will for the first time celebrate the unique Anoplura Exotica and Britannica collection created by the foremost louse authority of his day Mr Henry Denny (1803-1871). It will research, restore, curate, digitise and make available lice collected by famous scientists such as Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace to the research community and wider public through an on-line presence. It will enable research related to extinct human tribes and extinct animal species. It will enhance public knowledge and understanding of the importance of taxonomy and museum collections in current research. It proposes to answers questions such as, with which archaic human lineages (e.g. Neanderthals, Denisovans, H. erectus, H. antecessor) the modern human lineage (us) had physical contact to obtain its head lice? Recent publications, for example, on the discovery of 400,000 year-old Denisovan bones in Spain have through the analysis of ancient DNA sequencing had a huge impact, both scientifically and through the popular media. The proposed work investigating human interaction and migration through analysis of ancient and modern head lice is likely to generate similar impact.
A travelling exhibition and associated lectures will be targeted at multiple levels: school, the general public and undergraduate/postgraduate students. This will enable knowledge exchange across a range of audiences at multiple venues. The project will also feature as part of the Oxford Museums' 'Investigators' project, a 10 week research project aimed at 14-16 year old students as part of the British Science Association CREST award. In addition the Museum will offer opportunities for students in the first year of a post-16 science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) course to participate in the project as part of the Nuffield Research Placement scheme.
The proposed work on applying ancient DNA sequencing techniques on human blood inside human lice has direct impact on forensic trace analysis. It will directly benefit the commercial forensic sector by expanding their analytical capabilities and it will benefit the public sector in the form of the public prosecution by facilitating reviews of cold cases that so far have been considered too old for trace analysis.
Research staff will gain skills in various areas that currently show a shortage in the labour market. The restoration and curation work comes with skills in alpha taxonomy, a priority area according to the House of Lords report. Practical and bioinformatic skills in next generation sequencing of ancient DNA traces and whole genome analyses are thought after in many new and expanding biotechnology companies.