Funding reductions disrupt initiatives reconstructing the narrative of human history

In February, Christina Warinner was receiving an accolade from the American Association for the Advancement of Science when she discovered that one of her initiatives was included in a list of targeted federal research grants circulating in Washington. A few months later, she presented at a Nobel symposium in Stockholm and consequently lost two National Science Foundation grants within a mere fortnight.

Warinner, Landon T. Clay Professor of Scientific Archaeology, is renowned in the realm of ancient DNA, with her groundbreaking methodologies solving numerous enigmas surrounding early human diets and health. Her projects are among over 1,600 NSF grants connected to active endeavors that faced termination this spring.

“I understand it can be challenging to draw parallels between this research and medical studies, which have clear applications in saving lives,” Warinner stated. “Yet people possess a profound curiosity about our identity and origins. Our work holds significance as it employs our most sophisticated technologies to illuminate how humans lived millennia ago, enabling us to gain insight into our current world.”

The funding cuts come at a pivotal moment for ancient DNA science practitioners, a field swiftly evolving due to recent advancements in laboratory techniques and computational capabilities. Emerging in the mid-1980s in the U.S., the sector has experienced a decline in support compared to Northern Europe during the 21^st century.

“It’s incredibly disheartening,” Warinner remarked. “American archaeologists have been frontrunners in illuminating the narratives of humanity. However, if our funding is withdrawn, we will cease to be leaders.”

The annual congress of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) was anticipated to be a celebratory event for Warinner, who also holds the distinction of Sally Starling Seaver Associate Professor at the Radcliffe Institute. AAAS, the publisher of the journal Science, honored her with the 2025 Robert W. Sussman Award in recognition of her Scientific Contributions to Anthropology.

At the reception in downtown Boston, another researcher informed Warinner that one of her key projects was listed in a database of proposed research cutbacks. She and her team have been deeply involved in a three-year investigation regarding the diplomatic significance of marriage and extended kin networks in linking ancient Maya kingdoms along a major river valley in Belize.

This area represents one of the most extensively researched segments of the ancient Maya, leading to a century’s worth of archaeological findings.

Deciphering the civilization’s intricate hieroglyphics, with key breakthroughs achieved at Harvard in the 1950s, highlighted the significance of intermarriage in sustaining inter-kingdom relations. Recent advancements in remote sensing have facilitated the discovery of a series of previously unidentified settlements in a densely forested region known for its cacao production over millennia.

Did the Belize River Valley maintain closer inter-community relations than previously perceived? Warinner and her colleagues were on the brink of an answer.

“The genetic data would significantly aid us in piecing everything together, allowing us to truly comprehend the dynamics of the ancient Maya political system,” she noted.

Only within the past five or six years has such a breakthrough become feasible with advancements in sequencing ancient genomes from warm, humid environments, where DNA decays rapidly.

Researchers in Belize and at Harvard extracted genetic information from 400 individuals who inhabited the valley over several centuries, from 300 B.C.E. to 1000 A.D. To Warinner’s astonishment, nearly all of them, derived from newly identified sites as well as long-standing excavations, produced at least partial genomes.

“We never forecasted such a high success rate,” shared Warinner, a native Midwesterner who has been exploring ancient Maya since her undergraduate tenure at the University of Kansas. “It’s fantastic. However, it also escalates our project’s costs beyond our initial budget.”

A letter dated May 15 that canceled the project’s NSF funding dealt an unforeseen secondary setback. Additionally, support for newer research on horse milking practice was lost, with recent discoveries indicating that its origins may closely coincide with the domestication of horses themselves.

“Modern civilization was fundamentally built upon the backs of horses,” Warinner commented. “Yet many individuals are surprised to learn that early domesticated horses were milked. The origins and timeline of this practice remain unclear — that’s what we aim to trace, in order to better comprehend these earliest human-horse interactions.”

As an expert in ancient DNA and also a group leader at Germany’s Max Planck Institute, she had received an invitation from the Nobel Committee
“`to showcase her research on ancient microorganisms at a Nobel Symposium on Paleogenomics. Warinner delivered her presentation on May 28, discussing the archaeology of infectious illnesses, the historical significance of fermented foods, and the development of the human microbiome.

The subject of horse milking aligns seamlessly with this research interest. Of longstanding curiosity to Warinner is how milk and dairy products became essential components of diets in a world where most individuals are lactose-intolerant. “They are among our oldest — and least comprehended — processed foods,” she expressed with wonder.

Koumiss, a fermented drink that remains prevalent in Central Asia, represents a particularly intriguing case study. Derived from horse milk, it originates from the very area believed to be the cradle of horse domestication over 4,000 years ago. Indeed, this mildly alcoholic beverage is known to have sustained some of the prominent nomadic empires of Eurasia, including the Mongols and the Xiongnu.

Warinner and her team suggested an innovative method to determine when and where these grassland inhabitants first experienced koumiss. During her postdoctoral studies at the University of Oklahoma, she was one of the pioneers to realize that dental calculus could serve as a treasure trove for archaeological researchers. The hardened deposits, she discovered, trap and preserve biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, offering distinct perspectives into ancient dietary practices.

Investigating the origins of koumiss — or unprocessed horse milk, for that matter — necessitated partnerships with researchers throughout Central Asia to conduct dental cleanings on their archaeological collections.

“The whole reason we have embarked on this project is that we believe it is crucial for comprehending human history,” Warinner stated. “Our grant application was successful because a panel of peer reviewers concurred, deeming our research essential science of high importance.

“It’s such an honor,” she continued, “to secure funding in this manner.”