Draft:Lachie Scarsbrook
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Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. AncientDogDNA (talk) 16:26, 7 September 2026 (UTC)
Lachie Scarsbrook | |
|---|---|
 Scarsbrook in Gough's Cave | |
| Education | University of Otago (BSc, MSc) University of Oxford (DPhil) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Ancient DNA, Domestication |
Lachie Scarsbrook is a New Zealand geneticist whose research uses ancient DNA to investigate how humans and the environment have shaped animal populations through time.[1] He is a Fulford Junior Research Fellow at Somerville College at the University of Oxford, and a postdoctoral researcher at LMU Munich.[1]
Education
[edit]Scarsbrook studied Geology and Zoology at the University of Otago, completing a Bachelor of Science in 2018 and a Master of Science with Distinction in 2021.[2] His master's research combined osteology and ancient DNA to reconstruct extinct diversity in New Zealand's large Diplodactylidae geckos, and was co-supervised by Ewan Fordyce and Nic Rawlence.[3] During his time at Otago, Scarsbrook was a resident assistant at Cumberland College, Otago, and a red shirt for Hands-On at Otago.[4]
He subsequently moved to the University of Oxford, where he was a member of Merton College and a Clarendon Scholar.[1] He completed a DPhil in Archaeological Science, co-supervised by Greger Larson and Laurent Frantz. His doctoral thesis was titled "An Ancient Genomic Assessment of Hybridisation in Dogs and Wolves Over the Last 20,000 Years", and was completed in 2024.[5]
Research
[edit]Scarsbrook's research focuses on domestication, especially the evolutionary history of dogs, from their early origins and dispersal, to the genetic consequences of modern dog breeding practices.[6] In 2026, Scarsbrook jointly led a study published in Nature that identified the earliest genetic evidence for dogs, recovered from Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer sites in the United Kingdom and Turkey.[7][8]
Scarsbrook's high-profile research has been covered by magazines including Time,[9] National Geographic,[10] and The New York Times.[11] He has also appeared in media interviews with the BBC and the Natural History Museum, London.[12]
His earlier research investigated the extinct fauna of Aotearoa New Zealand using ancient DNA and morphological approaches.[1] Scarsbrook co-developed a new method of DNA extraction that avoids damaging small and fragile ancient bones.[13] Using this technique, he discovered a new species of gecko, Hoplodactylus tohu, which he named in partnership with Te Atiawa o Te Waka-a-Māui.[14]
Recognition
[edit]In 2020, Scarsbrook was named a BLAKE Ambassador, [15] partnered with the Takahē Recovery Programme.[16]
Scarsbrook was a Clarendon Scholar while completing his DPhil at Oxford, and was named a Prize Scholar at Merton College in 2023.[17] He was awarded a Fulford Junior Research Fellowship at Somerville College in 2024.[18]
In 2026, the University of Otago named Scarsbrook a recipient of its 20Twenties Young Alumni Award, recognizing his work in ancient DNA research.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Dr Lachie Scarsbrook". School of Archaeology, University of Oxford. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- 1 2 "Discovering the stories hiding in ancient bones". University of Otago. 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Scarsbrook, Lachie (2021). Does Size Matter? Using Osteology and Ancient DNA to Reconstruct Extinct Diversity in Duvaucel's Gecko (MSc thesis). University of Otago.
- ↑ Clark, Margie (31 January 2023). "Saying yes to the red shirt and giving back to Otago". University of Otago. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Scarsbrook, Lachie (2025). An ancient genomic assessment of hybridisation in dogs and wolves over the last 20,000 years (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. Retrieved 7 September 2026 – via Oxford University Research Archive.
- ↑ "Brave New Worlds". Somerville Magazine. No. 2026. Somerville College, University of Oxford. 2026. pp. PAGE RANGE. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "Somerville JRF uncovers oldest genetic evidence for domestic dogs". Somerville College. University of Oxford. 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "Kiwi Oxford University researcher finds dogs existed 15,800 years ago". 1News. Retrieved 2026-09-14.
- ↑ Greenwood, Veronique (14 November 2025). "DNA Reveals the Secret History of Dogs". Time. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Brookshire, Bethany (25 March 2026). "Humans have been hanging out with dogs for even longer than we thought". National Geographic. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "New studies of dog DNA shed light on pets and people". The New York Times. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ New evidence reveals the world's oldest domestic dogs: Scientists analyse ancient DNA across Europe (YouTube video). Natural History Museum. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Scarsbrook, Lachie; Verry, Alexander J. F.; Walton, Kerry; Hitchmough, Rodney A.; Rawlence, Nicolas J. (2023). "Ancient mitochondrial genomes recovered from small vertebrate bones through minimally destructive DNA extraction: Phylogeography of the New Zealand gecko genus Hoplodactylus". Molecular Ecology. 32 (11): 2964–2984. Bibcode:2023MolEc..32.2964S. doi:10.1111/mec.16434. PMID 35306727.
- ↑ "A new species of gecko: What's in a name and why it matters". University of Otago. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Hielkema, Hana (10 March 2020). "Lachie Scarsbrook". BLAKE. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ Takahē Recovery Programme (YouTube video). BLAKE. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "Lachlan Scarsbrook". Merton College. University of Oxford. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
- ↑ "Lachie Scarsbrook". Somerville College. University of Oxford. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:Living people Category:New Zealand geneticists Category:New Zealand zoologists Category:Population geneticists Category:University of Otago alumni Category:Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Category:Fellows of Somerville College, Oxford