Professor of Anthropology Faculty Associate, Research Center for Group Dynamics. Institute for Social Research University of Michigan
Beverly Strassmann is an evolutionary biologist and biological anthropologist who developed a field site among the Dogon of Mali, West Africa, where she has worked since 1984. In 1998 she established a prospective cohort study of the Dogon with the dual goals of applying evolutionary life history theory to humans and shedding light on the developmental origins of health and disease. With the help of a dedicated Malian field team, this project became an example of rigorous longitudinal research (1998 to present) in a low-income country. It is noteworthy for the depth of information gathered on each person over time and the exceptionally high subject retention. The study is multi generational and tracks three generations. A major focus is placental epigenetics. Strassmann and her key collaborators, Claudius Vincenz, Kerby Shedden, and Weisheng Wu, have shown that allele specific expression (ASE) of imprinted genes in the placenta is associated with maternal phenotypes, including mother’s height from age 0 to 10 years and age at menarche, as well as offspring phenotypes such as sex and birth length. Using long-read sequencing technology, the research team is currently investigating the phenotypes associated with allele specific methylation (ASM) in the placenta. Basic science of this kind is needed to understand the intergenerational transmission of conditions like stunting and low birth weight.
