Dr. Kılınç's research sheds light on the present by studying ancient DNA. She conducts ancient DNA research in collaboration with numerous national and international partners through our university's Department of Bioinformatics and the Department of Anthropology. Ancient DNA is obtained from non-living materials such as teeth, hair, and bones, providing important information about genetic origins and relationships with other living beings. With the support of this award, research will focus on the changes in human oral microbiota and genetic structure over time using ancient DNA obtained from the teeth and dental calculus of individuals who lived 6,000 and 1,000 years ago.
The transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agricultural life in prehistoric times brought significant changes in Anatolia, affecting dietary patterns and shifting from a protein-heavy diet to a carbohydrate-based one. This project aims to investigate how the dietary transition during the Neolithic period influenced the oral microbiota through genetic data and population genetic analyses. The findings are expected to illuminate the evolution of contemporary oral microbiota and its connections to current diseases.