Sindy Luu
| Position | PhD Student |
|---|---|
| Department | Department of Anatomy |
| Qualifications | MSc BSc(Hons) BA |
| Research summary | Evaluating genetic methods in the study of zooarchaeological remains across Near Oceania |
| Teaching | Demonstrator and tutor for anthropology and archaeology undergraduate papers |
| Memberships |
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Research
Ancient DNA (aDNA) and genetic analyses have immense potential to describe the dynamic relationships between humans and animals, and their environments. I focus on how aDNA investigations of zooarchaeological materials can engage with longstanding archaeological research questions relevant to Near Oceania and the Pacific. Themes include human subsistence strategies, resource use over time, and the translocation of commensal species into new regions.
Overall, my thesis aims to demonstrate the feasibility of various aDNA and High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) approaches within a tropical context. Key sites include New Ireland (testing DNA preservation within tropical environments); the Papua New Guinea highlands (exploitation of mammals for subsistence); and the Solomon Islands and Adele Island in Australia (commensal model, migration of people and commensal animals). The HTS approaches I use include bulk bone metabarcoding and complete mitochondrial genome sequencing.
Publications
Gaffney, D., Summerhayes, G. R., Luu, S., Menzies, J., Douglass, K., Spitzer, M., & Bulmer, S. (2021). Small game hunting in montane rainforests: Specialised capture and broad specturm foraging in the Late Pleistocene to Holocene New Guinea Highlands. Quaternary Science Reviews, 253, 106742. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106742
Wang, N., Brown, S., Ditchfield, P., Hebestreit, S., Kozilikin, M., Luu, S., … Summerhayes, G., … Douka, K. (2021). Testing the efficacy and comparability of ZooMS protocols on archaeological bone. Journal of Proteomics, 233, 104078. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.104078
Gaffney, D., Greig, K., Stoddart, D., Tromp, M., Field, J. H., Luu, S., … Russell, T., … Summerhayes, G. R. (2020). Tropical foodways and exchange along the coastal margin of Northeastern New Guinea. Journal of Field Archaeology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00934690.2020.1786285
Field, J. H., Summerhayes, G. R., Luu, S., Coster, A. C. F., Ford, A., Mandui, H., … Kealhofer, L. (2020). Functional studies of flaked and ground stone artefacts reveal starchy tree nut and root exploitation in mid-Holocene highland New Guinea. Holocene, 30(9), 1360-1374. doi: 10.1177/0959683620919983
Journal - Research Article
Gaffney, D., Summerhayes, G. R., Luu, S., Menzies, J., Douglass, K., Spitzer, M., & Bulmer, S. (2021). Small game hunting in montane rainforests: Specialised capture and broad specturm foraging in the Late Pleistocene to Holocene New Guinea Highlands. Quaternary Science Reviews, 253, 106742. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106742
Wang, N., Brown, S., Ditchfield, P., Hebestreit, S., Kozilikin, M., Luu, S., … Summerhayes, G., … Douka, K. (2021). Testing the efficacy and comparability of ZooMS protocols on archaeological bone. Journal of Proteomics, 233, 104078. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.104078
Gaffney, D., Greig, K., Stoddart, D., Tromp, M., Field, J. H., Luu, S., … Russell, T., … Summerhayes, G. R. (2020). Tropical foodways and exchange along the coastal margin of Northeastern New Guinea. Journal of Field Archaeology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00934690.2020.1786285
Field, J. H., Summerhayes, G. R., Luu, S., Coster, A. C. F., Ford, A., Mandui, H., … Kealhofer, L. (2020). Functional studies of flaked and ground stone artefacts reveal starchy tree nut and root exploitation in mid-Holocene highland New Guinea. Holocene, 30(9), 1360-1374. doi: 10.1177/0959683620919983
