Cobb Research Lab News

A
A quarterly
quarterly newsletter
newsletter of
of the
the W.
W. Montague
Montague Cobb
Cobb Research
Research Laboratory,
Laboratory, Howard
Howard University
University
VOL 6 ISSUE 2 EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dr. Fatimah Jackson ASSISTANT EDITOR: Ms. Esohe Irabor WINTER 2020
In Memory of Dr. James A. Donaldson, Advisory Board Member and long-
term supporter of systematic research on African American biological history and the
W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory at Howard University. We at the CRL were
recently saddened by the loss of Dr. James Donaldson, one of our long-term support-
ers who spent most of his career as a mathematics professor at Howard University
(1971-2016) serving as chair of the Math Department for 18 years then as Dean of the
College of Arts and Sciences for over 12 years. Dr. Donaldson was on the original
Advisory Board of the Cobb Research Laboratory and was an early and ardent sup-
porter of our research efforts at the CRL. We are very grateful for the example he pro-
vided to us in the CRL and the perseverance he demonstrated, particularly with refer-
ence to the New York African Burial Ground Collection and the Cobb Collection.
Through his diligent efforts we were able to retain remnants of the New York African
Burial Ground Project at Howard University for intensive genomic, elemental, and mi-
crobiome studies and through Dean Donaldson’s support, we were able to secure the
integrity of the Cobb Collection. Since then we tried to augment the collections of the
CRL to (unsuccessfully) include the Saint Helena Rupert’s Valley African Burial Ground Collection and (successfully) the
12,000 Genomes Project of African and African Diaspora Diversity. Dean Donaldson will be fondly remembered by the
CRL researchers and we sincerely thank him for all that he did on our behalf. ****

TWO NEW ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS WELCOMED TO THE CRL!

Dr. Michael A Gomez, historian and Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr, pathologist (both pictured below) have joined the advisory
board for the Cobb Research Laboratory. We welcome the infusion of the expertise and contacts to our research labor-
atory. Drs. Gomez and Mitchell have both been long-term supporters of the Cobb Research Laboratory and we look
forward to their continued participation in the development of the laboratory. Our new members will replace the late Dr.
Donaldson and former member Dr. Clarence Lee.**** Dr. Roger Mitchell Jr. is board certified
Michael A. Gomez is currently in Anatomic and Forensic Pathology by
Silver Professor of History and the American Board of Pathology and a
Middle Eastern and Islamic Fellow with the National Association of
Studies at New York Univer- Medical Examiners (NAME). Dr. Mitchell
sity, having served as the is the new Chair of the Strategic Planning
founding director of the Asso- Subcommittee for NAME and is the Im-
ciation for the Study of the mediate Past Chair for the Deaths in Cus-
Worldwide African Diaspora tody Subcommittee. Dr. Mitchell has re-
(ASWAD) from its inception in cently served as the National Co-Chair for
2000 to 2007, and is currently the National Medical Association’s (NMA)
series editor of the Cambridge Working Group on Gun Violence and Po-
Studies on the African Diaspo- lice Use of Force.
ra, Cambridge University
Press.

In this issue —

 Call for papers for The Backbone

 Recent successes among CRL Researchers

 Exploring African ancestry and identity in New World Africans

 CRL Orientation and Open House

 Dr. Fatimah Jackson to receive Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award

 CRISPRcon gene editing conference coming to Howard University

CRL News 6(2):1

 Recent Successes Among CRL Researchers
Congratulations are in Order!
Carter Clinton’s first dissertation-derived publication accepted by the
Prestigious Nature Scientific Reports! Congratulations to Carter Clinton for the
publication of his first article entitled This publication is entitled “Identification of trace metals
and potential anthropogenic influences on the historic New York African Burial Ground popula-
tion: A pXRF technology approach”. This is huge success and bodes well for his future career
as a scholar. Bravo! Here is the link to his paper co-authored with CM Duncan, RK Shaw, L
Jackson, and FLC Jackson: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-55125-7 ****

Esohe Irabor Successfully Completes her Proposal Defense and is Admitted

to Doctoral Candidacy!
Congratulations to Esohe Irabor, who successfully completed her proposal defense for her project:
“Correlations of Human Genomic Diversity and Oral Microbiome Diversity In African Ameri-
cans” in November. The proposal defense took place at 12 noon at Howard University’s Interdisci-
plinary Research Building and lasted a total of 90 minutes. Esohe is now eligible for candidacy and
will officially become a candidate in January 2020. She looks forward to delving further into her re-
search, and ultimately, producing publications. Stay tuned for developments on this project!***

Jennifer Caldwell Successfully Completes her Proposal Defense and is Ad-

mitted to Doctoral Candidacy!
Congratulations to Jennifer Caldwell who successfully completed her proposal defense for her pro-
ject that will look at genetic variability among the Gullah-Geechee and related peoples. Her pro-
posed studies will produce a comprehensive analysis of African American admixture, selection, and
other anthropogenic influences, that directly impact their cardiovascular disease prevalence. Her
pioneering work is highly integrative and uniquely incorporates historical, anthropological, and ge-
nomic data on a set of vulnerable and understudied groups of African Americans.****

Dr. Latifa Jackson interviewed by PBS on the genomic ramifications of the

transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans!
On December 12, 2019, Evan Hadingham, Senior Science Editor at Nova WGHB interviewed
Dr. Latifa Jackson to think through a preliminary research project that would result in a PBS spe-
cial on the archeology and genetics of the slave trade. Mr. Hadingham had previously met with
our ancient DNA collaborator Dr. Hannes Schroeder at the Center for GeoGenetics at the Uni-
versity of Copenhagen with an interest in how modern genomic techniques and archeology work
together to provide a fresh perspective on the trans-Atlantic trade in enslaved Africans. The col-
lections of the Cobb Lab reflect nearly 400 years of African American presence in North America
and have begun to provide valuable insights into that history.****

Megan Job returns to CRL from a successful Study Abroad experience in

Brazil and is offered a chance to do research at NIH!
Congratulations to undergraduate researchers Megan Job from Middlebury University for her
successful Study Abroad experience in Brazil. She perfected her Portuguese language skills
and made contacts for future research in human biology among locals. Megan returned to the
CRL to continue coding and bioinformatic testing of our African Genomes Project data. She now
has an opportunity to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. ****

CRL News 6(2):2

ESSAY: EXPLORING THE AFRICAN ANCESTRY AND IDENTITY OF NEW WORLD AFRICANS
Fatimah L.C. Jackson, Ph.D., Director CRL

New World Africans of the transatlantic diaspora have largely been stripped of an awareness of their specific African an-
cestry. This has created an intense desire in many for this information. Now that the technology has improved and our
understanding of African history is more robust, it is possible to provide plausible reconstructions of the multiple African
regional and ethnic origins of New World African populations.

At the Cobb Research Laboratory, we have long been interested in developing strategies to best explore the African an-
cestry of New World Africans. These strategies have included bioinformatic, geospatial, and ethnogenetic approaches.
The Cobb Research Laboratory initiated the 10,000 African Genomes Project in 2017 to systematically survey continen-
tal African genomic diversity and has been working steadily to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of this regional and ethnic
genetic diversity. To complement this database, we also have initiated the 1,000 Transatlantic African Genomes Project.
Together, these 11,000 genomes should provide adequate coverage to identify substantial links in African ancestry be-
tween continental and New World African individuals and groups. This effort will give needed specificity to descriptions of
African genomic diversity with potentially favorable downstream ramifications in the development of precision medicine.

Recently, Dr. Fatimah Jackson initiated links in the West African country of Benin to explore the genetic links between
these West Africans and specific New World African lineages. In one astounding study, significant centimorgan
(abbreviated cM) overlap was discovered between one North American African American lineage and individuals from
the royal family in the Kingdom of Allada in Benin. In genetics, a centimorgan is a unit for measuring genetic distance;
the higher the cM overlap, the greater the shared genetic ancestry. cMs measure the distance between chromosome
positions or loci. In the North American lineage, cM analysis suggested that they had had multiple exposures to Benin-
affiliated ancestors although the exact relationship could not be determined simply by looking at the number of shared
DNA segments. However, this did give us clues since the length of the shared DNA segments, their locations in the ge-
nome, and the total amount of DNA shared suggested at least one common ancestor approximately 10 generations
back.

The infusion of DNA from Benin-derived ancestors may have coincided with the influx in 1724 of thousands of elites from
the Kingdom to Allada into the New World. This region of West Africa was a disproportionately large source of enslaved
Africans for the Atlantic trade. The Kingdom of Allada, although inland, controlled seaports such as Ouidah that between
1640-1690 exported 125,000 enslaved Africans to the New World. However, in 1724 a rival Kingdom of Dahomey invad-
ed Great Ardra (Allada), slaughtered thousands, and enslaved 8000 prisoners of war for
transport to the New World. Included among these were elites such as the grandfather of
Toussaint L’Overture, the heir to the throne in 1724.

It was already known that the heritage of Toussaint L’Overture, Haitian general and best-
known leader of the Haitian Revolution was linked to the King of Allada. This Benin statue to
the right of this Haitian hero is in the city of Allada. In the case of the North American Afri-
can American lineage, the degree of genetic overlap between these individuals with the roy-
als was at the amazing level of 2 nd cousin, suggesting that multiple ancestors from this geo-
graphical region had, in the 17th and 18th centuries, (10-12 generations in the past) contribut-
ed to this African American’s lineage. This discovery of traceable and confirmable specific
African ancestry in several members of the North American New World African lineage (the
proband and several of his relatives) subsequently lead to their being invited to the royal
family of Allada to acknowledge their relationship to these elites.

We are aware that such unusual findings of royal ancestry in North American African Americans will be the exception
rather than the norm, but the fact that these connections often remain substantial is inspirational. It reflects, in part. the
historical mating and migration patterns of North American African Americans. The legacy of enslavement limited mobili-
ty and regional tendencies toward within group, endogamous mating was able to preserve certain ancestry-informative
gene clusters in offspring. This has left a more substantial record for ancestral reconstructions than would have been
possible if true panmixia had been the norm for these New World Africans. Additionally, relative regional stasis and local
patterns of gene flow with limited admixture with non-Africans has contributed to substructure in many New World Afri-
can groups. This populations substructure has also tended to refine, rather than dilute, segments of historic African bio-
logical and cultural ancestry, making it all the more important to study these remnants and reweave them into meaningful
reconstructions of the African ancestral past. ****
CRL News 6(2):3
 CRL HOLDS DECEMBER ORIENTATION SESSION
FOR NEW RESEARCHERS
As a follow-up to the November 2019 Freshman Seminar at Howard University
by Dr. Fatimah Jackson , interested undergraduates were encouraged to con-
sider joining the research facility at the Cobb Research Laboratory. In early De-
cember the CRL staff sponsored an Orientation and Open House to welcome
these new prospective researchers. This was their first opportunity to visit the
CRL in HUIRB, and to interact with senior research staff. From these interac-
tions, it is hoped that long-term alliances can be forged and the research effort
accentuated. All incoming researchers will need to complete on-boarding forms
including CITI certification, emergency contact forms, confidentiality forms, and a
new research integrity form. We welcome the new researchers and look forward
to their active participation in the CRL. ****

My Orientation Experience
by Delani Young (with comments by Dr. Fatimah Jackson)
In early November 2019, the Cobb Research Laboratory welcomed incoming student researchers to visit the
research facilities in HUIRB and learn more about the research opportunities in the lab. In attendance were a number of
Howard University freshman, including Ms. Delani Young, a freshman Biology major from the Pocono Mountains in
Pennsylvania. She writes about her experience at the Open House/Orientation:
During my freshman seminar I was thrilled to be introduced to the W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory
when Dr. Jackson made a presentation to my class on this groundbreaking research opportunity. Spurred by my convic-
tion that preparation for my future success can only be enhanced by collaborating with ambitious, forward thinking con-
temporaries and influencers, I immediately seized upon the chance to be a part of such a meaningful project which had
the potential to be a seminal building block in the path to my future in the medical field. My goal is to become a Derma-
tologist and to create my own skin care line for people of color, and I am aware that every step in this direction should
be inspired by a sense of purpose, and driven by a hunger to learn and to build constructive networks in which I can de-
velop and thrive as an aspiring professional. I am therefore filled with gratitude for the prospect of gaining a deeper un-
derstanding of the complex scientific elements inherent in the make-up of African Americans by studying their remains.
Having been invited to attend the New Researcher Orientation at the beginning of the month, I was able to meet some
of the current researchers and to discuss with them the broad aims of the research and the many positives that have
stemmed from their work in the lab to date. Along with other newcomers, I even received a tour of the facility and got the
chance to view some of the human skeletons from the Cobb Collection as well as the New York African Burial Ground.
At the end of the orientation, we were pleasantly surprised with a taco dinner, which everyone enjoyed! I am enthusias-
tic about my upcoming work in the lab in the new year, and excited about how this research path stands to impact my
career ambitions.
We are grateful for the interests and enthusiasm of students like Delani and hope that we can provide her with a
meaningful research opportunity that will propel her towards her professional goals.****

My Orientation Experience
by Davina Scott

As a new member of the Cobb Research Lab, my orientation experience was stirring. I was introduced to a friendly
and robust environment by the senior researchers that left me eager to begin my occupation in the lab. The evening be-
gan with a breakdown of the research being executed at the lab and the different roles each of us could occupy for them.
This was then followed by a short tour of the many different laboratory rooms. Most importantly we got to view some of
the research samples that we’ll be working with over the course of our time at the lab. It was unlike anything I’ve ever
seen before, and excitement welled in me to know that I’d have the opportunity to be apart of something so astounding
and impactful. Subsequent to our tour, we enjoyed a tasty meal of tacos, beans and rice. During this time we got the op-
portunity to acquaint ourselves with fellow newcomers as well as senior researchers who have been working with the
Cobb Research Lab for some time. We discussed our highs and lows for the semester as well as the roles we wished to
take on as a member of the Lab. Overall, with much thanks to the faculty at the Cobb Research Lab, my orientation was
a success and I’m eager to begin my journey as a researcher. ****

CRL News 6(2):4

THE 2020 W. MONTAGUE COBB LABORATORY JOUR-
NAL THE BACKBONE ISSUES CALL FOR PAPERS
Structural Racism Edition
By: Esohe Irabor, interim editor of The Backbone

I. Introduction
The Backbone is an online journal that examines the bioanthropological and socio-
political dimensions of the skeletal and dental collections housed in the Cobb Research Laboratory. The journal has an
international readership of students, professionals, researchers interested in the biological sciences, health disparities,
ethnography, demography, and history. In addition to the scientific commentaries, papers, and reviews on genetics,
anatomy, epidemiology, and bioinformatics, The Backbone also publishes literary and visual arts pieces. The year
2020 marks the 5th year of the journal’s publication history.
The W. Montague Cobb Research Lab is beginning 2020 with a call for papers for an issue dedicated to Structural
Racism. For the purpose of this edition, structural racism is defined as the web of institutions, societal paradigms and
processes that produce and reinforce oppression and inequities for people of color in the Americas. In addition to ex-
aminations of the components of structural racism itself, submissions that examine the biological impact of structural
racism in the are also welcome.
II. Submission Types
Manuscripts (Papers)- Quantitative or qualitative empirical studies on the role/impact of structural racism on biological
systems, ethnography, demography, minority health or health disparities. (Up to 3500 words, 35 references max, maxi-
mum of 2 tables or figures)
Commentaries- Comments or observations the role/impact of structural racism in the literature, media, policies or con-
temporary events. (Up to 2500 words, 25 references max, no tables or figures)
Artwork- Artwork must be reflective of the topic of structural racism. Submissions must be sent with the following, a) a
title, b) the artist’s name and email, and c) a 200-word description of what the artwork is depicting.
III. Submission & Deadlines
Authors that wish to submit papers or artwork for inclusion in the 2020 edition of The Backbone should adhere to the
following guidelines: Manuscripts and artwork will be accepted by email only. Please email complete manuscripts or art-
work to cobbresearchlab@gmaill.com by 11:59 PM February 6th 2020. Manuscripts must be submitted in doc. format.
Graphic files must be submitted in PDF, GIF, or JPEG format (artwork must be sent in the exact dimensions intended for
viewing). Authors and Artists will be notified by email of the status of their submission (accepted or rejected) by February
13th 2020.
IV. Expected Publications for 2020 and topics

Issue Topic Issue Topic Issue Topic

Spring 2020 Structural Racism Summer 2020 Scientific Literacy Fall 2020 Open

Upcoming changes to the CRL Web Pages Planned

The CRL website: www.cobbresearchlab.com will migrate to the COAS server at How-
ard University. Plans are currently underway to modify our very popular site, add a sec-
tion in French, and include more biographical sketches from our new undergraduate
researchers. The spring issue of the newsletter will contain more information on this
move and the expanded international opportunities that this presents for the Cobb Re-
search Laboratory. ****

CRL News 6(2):5

The CRL Embraces STEAM (STEM+Art) For The Megan Job and Desai Oula Continue Their
Facial Reconstruction Project of the Cobb Col- Exciting Summer Project on African
lection American Demography and Migration
By: Esohe Irabor By: Esohe Irabor
Back in July 2019, Megan Job and Desai Oula began
One of the CRL’s most exciting new projects is the Cobb Col-
processing hundreds of surveys from the CRL’s 1000
lection Facial Reconstruction Project. The Cobb Collection,
African American Genomes Project. The population
housed at Howard University’s Cobb Research Lab, is the
that they are studying are African Americans that live
largest collection of African American skeletal remains in the
and work in the DMV, excluding recent immigrants
United States. In the years since Dr. Fatimah Jackson has
and their children. They have two main interests: a)
become the curator, the collection has supported scores of
demography and the geographic origin(s) of east
publications, research and training efforts. But for the new
coast African Americans and b) determining the fac-
year, the Dr. Jackson wanted to change how she noticed the
tors that influence population stratification in their tar-
collection was being perceived. Dr. Latifa Jackson, assistant
get population (if any). Megan and Desai are using
professor of pediatrics affiliated with
multiple tools to address these questions, such as R
the CRL, asked a question central to
Studio and Excel. In STEM, data-based evidence is
this new goal: “How do you give
king—however, it was their intuition and sentiments
agency to these people and highlight
that drew both STEM majors (Megan is a junior Neu-
their humanity?”
roscience major and Desai is a sophomore Biology
Dr. Joshua Rashaad McFadden
major) to the CRL and this project. Desai mentioned
(pictured) is an Assistant Professor
that after experiencing being biology major a PWI, he
of Documentary and Advertising
wanted to see whether the scientific method was ap-
Photography at the Rochester Insti-
plied differently at an HBCU. He was also curious to
tute of Technology. Generally, his
see if the questions that were asked were different.
work focuses on concepts of identity,
After participating in past CRL projects such as the
Black masculinity, coming-of-age
petrous bone extractions, he’s settled on his answer:
stories and historical figures, such as
“They are different. I feel like at an HBCU the ques-
Frederick Douglass. When he visited the CRL in January, he
tions include greater historical context, and at PWIs
was met by an intimate gathering of post-docs, graduate stu-
that’s being omitted.” As a former student at a PWI
dents, medical students and undergraduates. He got the
herself, Megan agreed. She added the following:
room thinking by asking: “How do you depict the past?” He
“Lot’s of biology done in my [previous] school didn’t
answered, saying, “Through found materials” such as the per-
revolve around race and I think they were afraid. But
sonal belongings procured at excavation sites. However, in
that’s always been my interest. So, when I read Dr.
the absence of those, as is the case with the Cobb Collection,
Jackson’s article on post-traumatic slave syndrome
digital facial reconstructions are an attractive option. One of
(PTSS), it made me happy and brought me comfort. I
the preliminary steps to digital facial reconstruction is having
wanted to be a part of this research as soon as possi-
a library of accurate anthropomorphic data that is sensitive to
ble.” So far, their preliminary results are indicating
anatomical differences in ethnicity, sex, age, etc. This is sen-
population stratification in present in their target popu-
sitivity is especially necessary for the Cobb Collection due to
lation. They’re excited to continue testing to see what
its predominantly African American composition. Current data
else they can find. Megan and Desai hope to wrap up
available to forensic artists, anthropologists and others who
their project in time to present their work at Howard
utilize facial reconstruction in their work are extremely limited.
University’s annual Research Week. Stay tuned for
To counter this, the CRL wants to begin gathering such data
advancements with this important project. ****
through photographs and
measurements with the help of
artists like Dr. McFadden.
Through this collaboration, we
hope to begin the reconstruc-
tion of the faces of the individ-
uals of the Cobb Research
Lab. ****

CRL News 6(2):6

DR. FATIMAH JACKSON TO BE AWARDED CHARLES
R. DARWIN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR
2020
The AAPA Executive Committee has selected Dr. Fatimah Jackson as the 2020 Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achieve-
ment Awardee. Dr. Jackson will receive this outstanding award in Los Angeles on April 17, 2020, during the national
meetings. An excerpt from the nominating letter stated that “Dr. Jackson has undeniably contributed to and shaped the
fields of evolutionary biology and biological anthropology. Showing no signs of slowing down (by publishing 7 papers so
far in 2019), she is still pushing the forefront of research on urgent matters while training the next generation of research-
ers with her renaissance ideologies. She is still fighting the good fight and changing lives ….Dr. Jackson’s mentorship is
unmatched. Not only is she a pioneering scientist and exceptional instructor, but at her core she promotes effective men-
torship on all levels of STEM education.” This is an unexpected accolade and Dr. Jackson will give acceptance remarks
at the AAPA Business Meeting. These remarks will be published in the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the AAPA
and a President’s Reception will be given in her honor. Congratulations to our CRL Director and all those around her
who have been so supportive. ****
Writer’s Collective
begins Scientific SPRING SEMESTER 2020 CRL REGULAR LAB
Literacy Initiative MEETINGS
The goal of the Writers’ This semester we have switched to meeting on alternating
Collective is to provide a Thursdays through May 2020. This was done to accommo-
supportive, interactive date the new teaching responsibilities of key CRL staff
and interdisciplinary envi- members. Here are the meeting dates and times:
ronment to support the January 16, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
creative writing of schol-
ars associated with the January 30, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
Cobb Research Laboratory. It is the writing mission of February 13, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
the collective to provide scientifically valid, historically
credible, and interesting books and materials to edu- February 27, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
cate young children. To date, the Writer’s Collective March 12, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
has produced several dozen stories centered around
March 26, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
the imagined lives of children of the New York African
Burial Ground and the adults of the Cobb Collection. April 9, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
Now, the Writer’s Collective will expand their mission to
April 23, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
address the need for scientific literacy in children and
young adults through the production of culturally- May 7, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
competent booklets on key concepts in genetics and
May 21, 2020, 12 noon, 116 HUIRB
genomics. Scientific literacy is the knowledge and un-
derstanding of scientific concepts and processes re- Regular lab meetings and research opportunities are open
quired for personal decision making. This competency to all students, faculty and staff. For more information on
is increasingly essential in the 21st century as genetics the CRL, please consult our website:
and genomics come to occupy more and more of the www.cobbresearchlab.com
public consciousness and are at the foundation for All CRL researchers must be CITI-certified, have completed
making sound bioethical decisions. This project will confidentiality, emergency contact, and research integrity
continue through Fall 2020. *** forms. ****

CRL and NIH Partner to increase number of internships for URM student researchers
Dr. Fatimah Jackson (CRL) and Dr. Vence Bonham (NIH) have initiated a partnership to increase the research oppor-
tunities for underrepresented ethnic minority students to conduct research at the National Institutes of Health. In Feb-
ruary 2020, an initial “meet and greet” session is planned. Interested students should contact Dr. Jackson for details
through the CRL email: cobbresearchlab@gmail.com. ****

CRL News 6(2):7

 KEYSTONE POLICY CENTER AND CRL TEAM UP TO PRESENT
CRISPR.CON CONFERENCE AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY
Colleagues from the Keystone Institute are collaborating with CRL affiliates to present a Sep-
tember 2020 conference on the implications of the new CRISPR genetic editing technology.
While several types of editing have been developed, the most common is called clustered reg-
ularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISP-R, is used to change DNA sequences
and gene function. This technique inserts, removes, changes, or replaces specific pieces of a
person’s existing DNA. It is used to treat diseases like sickle cell anemia. Scientists are explor-
ing ways to edit pieces of DNA at precise spots along the gene. The goal of gene editing is to
change the existing gene and correct mutations where they occur. The technology is not without controversy. We hope
to explore aspects of this technology, particularly for African-descended populations. Howard University is the optimal
site for these discussions. We plan on extensive community engagement in a broad discussion of the ethical, social,
political, economic, and scientific aspects of the technology. ****

Dr. Fatimah Jackson joins American Association for Advancement of Sciences’ Dialogue on
Science, Ethics, and Religion Advisory Board
Dr. Rob O’Malley has asked Dr. Fatimah Jackson to join the Advisory Board for AAAS-DoSER. AAAS established the
program of Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) in 1995 to facilitate communication between scientific
and religious communities. DoSER builds on AAAS's long-standing commitment to relate scientific knowledge and tech-
nological development to the purposes and concerns of society at large. Dr. Jackson has published on Islam and evolu-
tion and is interested in key questions of evolutionary biology.
AAAS seeks to advance science and to relate scientific knowledge and technological development to the purposes and
concerns of society at large. The Advisory Board will address issues of value and ethics within the context of emerging
scientific technologies. The Advisory Board will also address questions of meaning and religion that are challenged by
our deepening understanding of the natural world. It is hoped that her presence on the Advisory Board will contribute to
the understanding of the cultural context within which science operates. Dr. Jackson is looking forward to actively partici-
pating in this initiative. ****

PLEASE

Please donate to support student research in STEM

and STEAM at the Cobb Research Laboratory. Our
Account number is R201500 and our tax-exempt
number is 530204707. Donations should be made out
to the W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory, Col-
lege of Arts and Sciences, Howard University, Wash-
ington, DC 20059, USA

CRL News 6(2):8

 KEVIN SCRIBER, RECENT PH.D. (BIOLOGY) AND CRL
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE HOSPITALIZED IN CHINA, HOPING TO
RETURN TO THE US.
Just prior to the emergence of the recent coronavirus epidemic centered in China,
Kevin Scriber, Ph.D. candidate became gravely ill and is awaiting return to the US
for treatment. Kevin just completed his dissertation, submitted all forms for gradua-
tion in May 2020, and was teaching biology in China. His many friends and admir-
ers worldwide wish him the very best and look forward to his return to the US. We
are praying for your welfare, Kevin, strength and energy! ****

DECEMBER WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE ELABORATES IMPORTANCE OF NEW YORK

AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND TO ADVANCING GENETIC RESEARCH
A December 20, 2019 article entitled “How the discovery of an African burial ground in New York City changed the field
of genetics: A forgotten cemetery shattered barriers for scientists of color” discussed the contribution of research on
the New York African Burial Ground to the advancement of genetic research. In this article authored, Post reporter
Nicole Ellis notes that New Yorkers were shocked when a burial ground believed to contain the remains of more than
15,000 people of African descent was found beneath Lower Manhattan. New Yorkers were shocked when a burial
ground believed to contain the remains of more than 15,000 people of African descent was found beneath Lower Man-
hattan. It took protests by activists, scholars, politicians and black New Yorkers to halt construction on the government
building and contract an African American anthropologist to oversee the exhumation of the remains of 419 men, wom-
en and children. Ultimately, the New York African Burial Ground Project shattered barriers for people of color in sci-
ence, creating a diverse team of geneticists, anthropologists, chemists, archaeologists and other researchers to work
on the dig and analyze the remains.
“As researchers, we were ethnically and gender diverse. What united us was a desire to do research in a different way,
more interdisciplinary and more scientifically sophisticated way”, reported Dr. Fatimah Jackson, who led the project’s
genetic research. Instead of following traditional research methods focusing on race, gender, and age, and conducting
the research in the relative obscurity of private laboratories, in the case of the New York African Burial Ground, the
public was directly and immediately involved. The project director, Dr. Michael Blakey (now at William and Mary Uni-
versity) treated the descendant African American communities like clients and let their desires guide the team’s re-
search. Their questions were directly relevant to their lives as potential descendants of the African Burial Ground popu-
lation. They wanted to know where the people were from in Africa but also what their lives were like as enslaved and
marginally free peoples, how they resisted slavery, and how their culture evolved from African to African American.
Black New Yorkers also pushed to conduct the analysis at Howard University, where black historians, archaeologists,
skeletal biologists and anthropologists would guide the work. They wanted to ensure that the analysis of the remains
went beyond superficial and stereotypical questions. This advanced genetics by challenging the old paradigms.
We still honor this approach at Howard University’s W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory where we continue to
conduct research on the remnants of this collection. Ph.D. candidate Carter Clinton has taken the lead in his insightful
analyses of the grave soils from the New York African Burial Ground. He has already published an article on the ele-
mental analyses of these samples and will soon submit papers on the bioethics of the project and the microbiome of
the grave soils.****
12,000 AFRICAN & AFRICAN DIASPORA GENOMIC DIVERSITY PROJECT SEEKING INTER-
NATIONAL COLLABORATORS!
The Cobb Research Laboratory is seeking international collaborators in an effort to ex-
pand the 12,000 African Genomes Project. This project seeks to identify the genetic, cul-
tural, and ecological connections between and among continental Africans, New World
Africans, and African descended peoples of the Red Sea Diaspora. We believe that this
approach will accelerate the development of pharmaceuticals and clinical interventions of
relevance to peoples of African descent and it will increase our knowledge of the ancestral links between African popula-
tions worldwide. If you are interested in making this project’s success and would like to collaborate, please contact Dr.
Fatimah Jackson directly at fatimah.jackson@howard.edu ****
CRL News 6(2):9