Jennifer Raff developed an early love of science, earning advanced degrees in Genetics and Biological Anthropology from the University of Indiana. She is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Kansas, utilizing genetics to study the origin of humans in the Americas. Her best selling book “Origin“, published February 2022, tells the dramatic story of how genetics has changed our understanding of the history of the Americas. It was believed for many years that humans crossed a land bridge between Asia and North America through an ice free corridor and quickly populated the two continents, killing off the megafauna in the process. DNA recovered from ancient peoples reveals a wealth of scientific information about the origin and movement of these peoples, and tells a much more complex story. Many scientists now believe that humans were here some 25,000 years ago and utilized a coastal route to populate the Americas.
Unfortunately, there is a history of scientists sometimes exploiting native people . Raff makes a case for the importance of researchers respecting tribal sovereignty. The study of early humans is a field that is changing very fast with the discovery of new sites and advances in the science. Raff also presents public talks and writes on aspects of science literacy. She has numerous publications, podcasts and interviews to her credit.
