Maria A. Nieves-Colón, Ph.D.

Research

My research will investigate the genetic and health impacts of the influx of millions of Africans to Latin America during the colonial period. Their arrival introduced a mix of genetic variants—and previously unencountered microbial pathogens—into colonial Latin America, shaping the evolution of the population’s gene pool, particularly the variants related to immune adaptation. In a pilot study, we used cutting-edge microbial and paleogenomic techniques to analyze DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of enslaved peoples buried in an 18th century Peruvian sugar plantation, work that identified at least one microbe commonly linked to poor oral health. Now, my group will expand our analyses to catalog the infectious diseases that circulated among Afro-Peruvians during this period, characterize the demographic history of this population, and assess how immune-related genes adapted to combat these ancient microbes. These findings could reveal how genetic diversity drives susceptibility or resilience to infectious disease and gain insight into the divergence of the ancestral gene pool, leading to a wider global understanding of the human genome. This work is conducted in close partnership with Afro-descendant communities and will provide training and educational opportunities for students.