Colloquium: Turning Data into Evidence in Human Paleogenomics

Abstract:

This talk develops a practice-based philosophical account of paleogenomic inference, focusing on the gap between data production and evidential warrant. I argue that genomic sequences do not transparently encode demographic history; they become evidence only through a structured set of methodological and inferential practices involving authenticity assessment and contamination control. This foundation then opens up a broader set of questions that a philosophy of paleogenomics must confront: the distributed epistemic responsibility across extended data pipelines, the entanglement of evidential and ethical standards, and the conditions under which genomic inference can support warranted claims about the human past.