History of our laboratory
The Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology (LBMA) was established in February 2008 as one of the departments of the Institute of Experimental Biology at the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University. In 2010, the Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology was relocated from the inadequate premises on the original campus of the Faculty of Science at Kotlářská Street to the newly built University Campus at Bohunice. The entire workplace is designed to create separate laboratories for anthropological research, laboratories for genetic research of ancient DNA, depositories, and facilities for students and staff.
The LBMA focuses its activities on research in the area of biological traits of human populations from their historical roots to the current living human population. Thus, research focuses on historical anthropology, paleopathology or genetics as well as on living humans. Human variation is studied from genotype to phenotype and from phenotype to genotype.
The LBMA staff also carries out field research at archaeological sites, during rescue archaeological excavations, in tombs, in ossuaries or in churches. Thus, the analysis of historical skeletal material is conducted continuously and in context, from the excavation of skeletons, through anthropological analysis, genetic analysis, to the final evaluation of the data, discussion with archaeologists, and placing the findings in the historical situation.
The Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology collaborates on research with other scientific departments, anthropological, archaeological, biological, medical and with museums. In addition to scientific research on historical populations carried out in collaboration with archaeological institutions, the Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology also provides services in the form of forensic expertise on historical populations to police authorities and private individuals.
Examples of cooperation
- Department of History, Faculty of Education, MU
- Institute of Archaeology, MU Faculty of Education
- Moravian Museum in Brno
- Archaia Brno
- Archaia Olomouc
- Military History Club
- Masaryk Museum in Hodonin
- Institute for Archaeological Heritage
- Comenius University in Bratislava
- Institute for the Scientific Investigation on Mummies, Madrid, Spain
- Museo Antropológico Montané, University of Havana, Havana, Cuba
- Mendel museum MU
- Laboratory for bio-anthropology and ancient DNA research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
- Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and the Evolution of Human Behaviour, Universidade do Algarve, Portugal
Teaching
The staff of the Laboratory of Biological and Molecular Anthropology is involved in teaching students of the Faculty of Science of Masaryk University, especially through lectures and supervising bachelor, master and doctoral theses on topics related to the biological nature of humans.
