Latest developments

  • Call for applications IUBS-INQUA conference
    Call for applications IUBS-INQUA conference

    A joint IUBS-INQUA conference will be organized in China in November 2025.

  • Shackleton Conference 2025 – Submerged Quaternary Landscapes
    Shackleton Conference 2025 – Submerged Quaternary Landscapes

    The fourth Shackleton Conference will take place at Burlington House, London, on 22 September 2025. The conference will focus on vanished landscapes, the seafloor as a geological palimpsest retaining sketchy evidence for Quaternary landscapes that…

  • INQUA 2027 Talk Series
    INQUA 2027 Talk Series

    Join us for an engaging session with Prof. Jeffery R. Stone (Indiana State University, USA) discussing Holocene marine flooding & ecosystems of Lake Izabal, Guatemala scheduled for Saturday, 26 July 2025  at 6:00 PM IST…

  • Podcast INQUA 2027 India
    Podcast INQUA 2027 India

    Quaternary is the age when modern recognisable humans started inhabiting this planet. All over the world scientists are engaged in studying various aspects of human evolution. Once every 4 years scientists from all across the…

Project 2315 sa: Shedding light on current developments in Paleo Ecological Genomics (SedaDNA)

The first sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) Meeting took place from June 6th to 9th, 2023, at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI) Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Potsdam, Germany.

Abstract

Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) is revolutionising the way scientists reconstruct past biodiversity and ecological dynamics. As a powerful proxy, sedaDNA enables researchers to examine historical biological communities across decadal to millennial timescales. This approach is transforming paleoecological research by offering unprecedented insight into eco-functional changes in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments.

The SedaDNA Meeting Potsdam brought together a vibrant, international community of researchers who are pushing the boundaries of sedaDNA science. This multidisciplinary event spanned three key components:

  1. Symposium: A diverse scientific program featuring oral and poster contributions from leading experts across a wide range of sedaDNA research fields. Presentations covered cutting-edge case studies, methodological innovations, and emerging applications in paleoecology.

  2. Hands-on Workshop: Aimed particularly at Early Career Researchers (ECRs), this workshop provided practical training in sedaDNA methodologies, bioinformatic pipelines, and statistical analysis. Participants gained essential skills and insights to enhance their own research.

  3. Collaborative Writing Workshop: Organized by the PAGES PaleoEcoGen working group, this session fostered collaborative efforts to draft a synthetic publication. The focus was on analyzing sedaDNA time series to identify critical ecological transitions—contributions that will inform biodiversity conservation and future scenario modelling.

The meeting served as a nexus for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration, with invited speakers representing a broad spectrum of expertise. By creating a dynamic platform for discussion and partnership, the event aimed to propel the field toward more quantitative and integrative paleoecological research. Special attention was given to nurturing the next generation of scientists through mentorship, skill development, and networking opportunities.

Project leaders:

  • Kathleen Stoof-Leichsenring, Alfred-Wegener-Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany
  • Ulrike Herzschuh, AWI Potsdam, Germany

Related items

Publications

INQUA serves the Quaternary Research community by supporting the publication of two scientific journals published by Elsevier: Quaternary International (QI), a hybrid Journal launched in 1989 that publishes 36 volumes/year, Quaternary Environments and Humans (QEH),…

Latest developments

View moreLatest developments