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14th S.M.A.R.T. Lecture with Walter Pohl

Institute of Medieval Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Institute for Austrian Historical Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

GENETICS AND HISTORY: HOW TO EXPLORE THE PAST TOGETHER

Wednesday, 26 March 2025, 6:00 pm
CeMM Large Seminar Room, level 8

Host: Giulio Superti-Furga

Welcome by Giulio Superti-Furga, CeMM Scientific Director
Lecture by Walter Pohl
Reception

The dynamic development of archaeogenetics has created spectacular new opportunities to learn more about the human past. For some time, geneticists’ efforts have concentrated on human evolution and prehistory. Only a few years ago, attention also shifted to historical periods. This poses a challenge to all disciplines involved: for the Humanities, to open up to the potential of new scientific and bioinformatic methods; and for Genetics, to collaborate with historians and archaeologists in order to get the most out of their data. Translating genetic models into historical narratives requires adopting historical method, not simply relating genetic results to main-stream historical knowledge. This is an interdisciplinary task that needs collaboration from beginning to end, from devising the questions and selecting the material to be tested, to interpreting the results and drawing historical conclusions. 

The lecture builds on the experience of the ERC Synergy Grant project HistoGenes (2020-26), coordinated at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and uniting research teams from the MPI for Human Evolution Leipzig, the ELTE/University of Budapest and the Institute for Advanced Study Princeton. This is not only the first large project addressing the archaeogenetics of a historical period, the early Middle Ages (c. 400-900) in Eastern Central Europe; it is also the first truly interdisciplinary genetic history project. The lecture will address the potential and the problems of a cooperation between Life Sciences and Humanities, and sketch some of the results and their significance for further research.

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2025 Landsteiner Lecture Tony Wyss-Coray

D. H. Chen Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford Medicine
Director, Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience
Stanford University, California, USA

YOUNG BLOOD FOR OLD BRAINS AND THE QUEST TO SLOW BRAIN AGING

Monday, 12 May 2025, 6:00 pm
Festive Hall, Austrian Academy of Sciences
Dr.-Ignaz-Seipel-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna

Host: Giulio Superti-Furga

Welcome by Giulio Superti-Furga, CeMM Scientific Director
Public lecture by Tony Wyss-Coray
Reception

Aging leads to the degradation of function in nearly all tissues and organs. This process is marked by significant shifts in gene expression and changes in concentrations of all types of biological molecules. Recent technological progress has allowed biologists to measure an unprecedented number of these molecules throughout an organism, providing unique insights into the physiological and pathological conditions of cells and organs, including the aging process.

Large scale proteomic studies in humans demonstrate dramatic shifts in the composition of the blood and cerebrospinal fluid proteomes with age allowing us to estimate brain age and identify proteins linked to cognitive decline, neurodegeneration, and dementia. While brain cell- and tissue-intrinsic factors are likely essential in driving the aging process we find blood borne factors from young humans and mice are sufficient to counteract aspects of brain aging and improve cognitive function in old mice while blood plasma from old organisms is detrimental to young mice and impairs their cognition. These findings open opportunities to identify biomarkers and regulators of aging in general and for brain and other organs specifically.

Please register here