This $394,032 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (CFDA 47.075) program supports the development and validation of a cost-efficient, degradation-resistant, genome-scale method for DNA methylation analysis to estimate biological age from human skeletal remains. The 3-year project at Pennsylvania State University aims to: (1) develop a robust DNA methylation typing approach tailored to damaged/degraded bone DNA, (2) create a high-quality predictive model of age from methylation signals in bone, and (3) characterize the impact of lifestyle factors on discrepancies between chronological and biological ages. This research will advance epigenetic age estimation methods for use in archaeological and forensic studies to improve estimates of age-at-death, which are critical for understanding past population demographics and health. The project also includes workshops, outreach, and a short film to engage students, faculty, and the public on epigenetics and anthropological aging research.
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