What can ancient DNA teach us about lost cities, living descendants, and the ethics of genetics?In this episode of Ignition Sequence, anthropologist and geneticist Dr. Meradeth Snow joins host Dylan Bohbot for a wide-ranging conversation about the deep history of North America’s Indigenous peoples, how we study ancient migrations, and the complicated relationship between genetics and Native identity.
Dr. Snow shares insights from her fieldwork at Paquimé, a vast pre-Columbian city in northern Mexico, and explains how modern genetic tools are helping to reconnect remains with present-day tribal nations—on their terms. The conversation also explores Indigenous-led genetic databases, the history of colonial abuses in genetic research, and what it means to preserve language and culture in a post-contact world.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
1. Why Paquimé might rewrite what we thought we knew about Native North American civilizations
2. How genetics is helping identify the descendants of ancient people
3. Why some Native communities are building their own DNA databases
4. What ethical questions scientists face when working with Indigenous ancestry
5. Why preserving Indigenous languages is vital to cultural survival
Timestamps:
00:02:16 – The ancient city of Paquimé and its global significance
00:04:43 – Cultural exchange between Mesoamerica and the American Southwest
00:06:00 – Were Paquimé’s people local, or migrants? The genetics tell a story
00:13:30 – Agriculture, water systems, and urban design in the desert
00:23:36 – Why some tribes reject DNA testing—and how that’s changing
00:26:05 – Building tribally-owned DNA databases to address MMIW and repatriation
00:31:28 – Confronting conspiracy theories and misrepresentations of Indigenous identity
00:35:18 – Culture isn’t just in your genes—it’s something you live
00:36:14 – The urgent fight to preserve Indigenous languages
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🔗 Helpful Links🔹 Snow Genomics Lab: https://www.umt.edu/anthropology/research/snow-lab
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