Kris Gremillion is part of the collaborative research program funded by the National Science Foundation, “Tracking the Origins of an Adaptive Trait Syndrome with Ancient DNA,” with Benjamin Blackman (University of Virginia),  Tom Gilbert (University of Copenhagen), and Bruce Smith and Robert Costello (Smithsonian Institution).”   The ancient DNA project is designed to utilize high throughput sequencing technologies to trace the accumulation of adaptive genetic changes underlying the evolution of domestication traits in the sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Today an important world crop, this plant was domesticated in eastern North America over 4,000 years ago. The modern sunflower genome has yielded insights into the domestication process, and phenotypic changes in seeds and fruits is well documented in archaeological material.   Ancient DNA from well-preserved prehistoric collections will help in identifying the genetic basis of phenotypic effects and allow a more precise reconstruction of the rate and direction of change under domestication.