‘DNA and the Middle Ages: Genetics, History and Archaeology’
The Beehive, Newcastle
University
22 October 2004
Organiser: Dr Scott Ashley, School of Historical Studies
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Christopher Howe (Dept of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge)
Title: ‘Evolutionary Biology and Manuscript Traditions’
Abstract: There are strong parallels between the copying of manuscripts by scribes, with incorporation of deliberate or accidental changes, and the replication of DNA molecules with the incorporation of mutations. A large number of computer programs is available for the reconstruction of evolutionary trees from DNA sequence data. Such programs have also been employed to assist in the inference of stemmata – trees of relationships between extant versions of a manuscript. I shall discuss the application of these techniques to traditions including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Lydgate’s Kings of England, and consider ways in which the evolution of texts may differ from the evolution of DNA sequences. I shall also discuss the possibility of extracting "real" DNA from parchment.
