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Evolutionary Ecology Group

 

Jason Hodgson

Human Evolution
Primate Evolution
The role of cultural variation in human evolution

 

Introduction

I am an anthropological geneticist and bioinformatician with broad interests in human and primate evolution. I first joined the Evolutionary Ecology Group as a postdoc working on understanding the population dynamics of the Neolithic and Bronze Age migrations of farming peoples into Europe. I have since moved across the road to Anglia Ruskin Universty as Senior Lecturer in the School of Life Sciences. However, I am continuing to collaborate with the Evolutionary Ecology Group as a visting researcher.

 

Human evolution in Madagascar

Professor Manica and myself –in collaboration with the University of Antananarivo– are beginning a project to look at how behavioural variation associated with culture has influenced the biological evolution of the people of Madagascar. To address this question, we will be collecting genomic and phenotypic samples from people from several Malagasy ethnic groups. This project is just getting started and there are lots of opportunities to get involved. Please contact us if you are interested. 

Biography

Education

  • BS in Evolutionary Anthropology, Rutgers University
  • MPhil in Biological Anthropology, Cambridge Universtiy
  • PhD in Biological Anthropology, New York Univerisity

Professional Experience

  • Postdoctoral researcher, Perry Lab, Dept. of Anthropology, Penn State University
  • Postdoctoral researcher, Evolutionary Ecology Group, Dept. of Zoology, Cambridge University
  • Lecturer in Evolutionary Genetics, Dept. of Life Sciences, Imperial College London
  • Temporary Lecturer in Biological Anthropology, Dept. of Archaeology, Cambridge University
  • Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics and Big Data, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

Publications

Key publications: 

2021. Orkin JD, Montague MJ, Tejada-Martinez D, de Manuel M, del Campo J, Cheves Hernandez S, Di Fiore A, Fontsere C, Hodgson JA, Janiak MC, Kuderna LFK, Lizano E, Martin MP, Nimura Y, Perry GH, Soto Valverde C, Tang J, Warren WC, de Magalhaes JP, Kawamura SJ, Marques-Bonet T, Krawetz R, & Melin AD. The genomics of ecological flexibility, large brains, and long lives in capuchin monkeys revealed with fecalFACS. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 118 (7) e2010632118

2016. Hodgson JA. A genomic investigation of the Malagasy confirms the Highland/Coastal divide, and the lack of Middle Eastern gene flow. in Early Africa-Indian Ocean World Exchange, Gwyn Campbell ed. Palgrave MacMillan. 231-254

2014. Hodgson JA, Pickrell JK, Pearson LN, Quillen EE, Prista A, Rocha J, Soodyall H, Shriver MD, & Perry GH. Natural selection for the Duffy-null allele in the recently admixed people of Madagascar. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 281 (1789): 20140930

2014. Hodgson JA, Mulligan CJ, Al-Meeri A, & Raaum RL. Early Back-to-Africa Migration into the Horn of Africa. PLoS Genetics. 10(6): e1004393

2014. Pozzi L, Hodgson JA, Burrell AS, Sterner KN, Raaum RL, & Disotell,TR. Primate phylogenetic relationships and divergence dates inferred from complete mitochondrial genomes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 75: 165-183

2009. Hodgson JA, Sterner KN, Matthews LJ, Burrell AS, Jani RA, Raaum RL, Stewart CB & Disotell TR. Successive radiations, not stasis, in the South American primate fauna. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 106(14): 5534-5539.

Other publications: 

2021. Maissano Delser P, Krapp M, Beyer R, Jones ER, Miller EF, Hovhannisyan A, Parker M, Siska V, Vizzari MT, Pearmain EJ, Imaz-Rosshandler I, Leonardi M, Somma GL, Hodgson JA, Tysall E, Xue Z, Cassidy L, Bradley DG, Eriksson A, & Manica A. Climate and mountains shaped human ancestral genetic lineages.  bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.13.452067 

2019. Hodgson JA. Cultural variation in voting patterns reflects the landscape of US genetic diversity: A test of the cultural niche hypothesis.  bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/856450

2017. Savolainen V & Hodgson JA. The evolution of homosexuality. In The Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Shackelford TK & Weekes-Shackelford V. Eds. Springer. 1-8.

2011. Pozzi L, Hodgson JA, Burrell AS & Disotell TR. The stem catarrhine Saadanius does not inform the timing of the origin of crown catarrhines. Journal of Human Evolution. 61(20): 9e210.

2010. Hodgson JA & Disotell TR. Anthropological Genetics: Inferring the History of Our Species Through the Analysis of DNA. Evolution: Education and Outreach 3: 387-98.

2010. Hodgson JA, Bergey CM & Disotell TR. Neandertal Genome: The Ins and Outs of African Genetic Diversity. Current Biology 20(12): R517-9.

2010. Allaby RG, Friedlaender FR, Reed FA, Kidd KK, Kidd JR, Chambers GK, Lea RA, Loo J-H, Koki G, Hodgson JA, Merriwether DA, Weber JL & Friedlaender JS. Prehistoric Pacific Population Movements. In The Global Origins and Development of Seafaring. Eds. Anderson A & Boyle K. McDonald Institute Monographs, Cambridge, UK. pp. 143-157.

2008. Hodgson JA & Disotell TR No evidence of a Neanderthal contribution to modern human diversity. Genome Biology 9: 206 2008. Friedlaender JS, Friedlaender FR, Reed FA, Kidd KK, Kidd JR, Chambers GK, Lea RA, Loo JH, Koki G, Hodgson JA, Merriwether DA, & Weber JL. The Genetic Structure of Pacific Islanders. PLoS Genetics. 4 (1): e19

2007. Friedlaender JS, Friedlaender FR, Hodgson JA, Stoltz M, Koki G, Horvat G, Zhadanov S, Schurr TG & Merriwether DA. Melanesian mtDNA Complexity. PLoS ONE 2: e248

2007. Friedlaender JS, Friedlaender FR, Hodgson JA, McGrath S, Stoltz M, Koki G, Schurr TG & Merriwether DA. Mitochondrial DNA variation in Northern Island Melanesia. in Genes, Language, and Culture History in the Southwest Pacific. J.S. Friedlaender, ed. pp. 61-80. Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

2005. Merriwether DA, Hodgson JA, Friedlaender FR, Allaby R, Cerchio S, Koki G & Friedlaender JS. Ancient mitochondrial M haplogroups in the Southwest Pacific. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 102: 13034-9

Senior Lecturer in Bioinformatics and Big Data, School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University
Visiting Researcher, Evolutionary Ecology Group, Dept. of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Jason Hodgson
Takes PhD students
Available for consultancy

Contact us

Head of the group:
Prof. Andrea Manica
am315@cam.ac.uk

Address

Department of Zoology,
Downing Street,
CB2 3EJ
Cambridge, UK

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