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My Research

My research in genetic anthropology spans two million years of our evolutionary history, from the origin of the genus Homo in the Pleistocene to the formation of ethnic groups in New Mexico over the past 400 years. The common thread in my research projects is an interest in the persistence of genetic and linguistic structure within our species despite the fluid nature of population boundaries and the ephemeral nature of individual groups. My publications have provided insights into the initial dispersal of humans from Africa, the non-existence of biological races, the co-evolution of genes and languages, the impact of colonial migration on ethnogenesis, and the psychosocial and cultural determinants of interest and uptake of skin cancer genetic testing.

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UNM Faculty profile

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Google Scholar

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Recent publications

  • Appel N, Edgar H, Daneshvari Berry S, Hunley K. Error and bias in race and ethnicity descriptions in medical examiner records in New Mexico: Consequences for understanding mortality among Hispanic/Latinos. Forensic Science International: Synergy 7. 2023.

  • Moes E, Willermet C, Hunley K, Ragsdale C, Edgar H. Childhood stress and developmental instability: comparing microscopic enamel defects and cranial fluctuating asymmetry in a colonial Mexican sample. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 2022 

  • Riley K, Sussman A, Schofield E, Guest D, Dailey Y, Schwartz M, Buller D, Hunley K, Kaphingst K, Berwick M, Hay J. Effect of superstitious beliefs and risk intuitions on genetic test decisions. Medical Decision Making. 42(3). 2022

  • Hunley K, Moes, Edgar H, Mosley C, Healy M, Dixon A. Colonialism, ethnogenesis, and biogeographic ancestry in the US Southwest. American Journal of Biological Anthropology. 176:559–571. 2021

  • Khan E, Kaphingst K., Meyer White K, Sussman A, Guest D, Schofield E, Dailey Y, Robers E, Schwartz M, Li Y, Buller D, Hunley K, Berwick M, Hay J. Comprehension of skin cancer genetic risk feedback in primary care patients. J Community Genet. 1-7. 2021

  • Hay JL, Zielaskowski K, White K, Kaphingst K, Robers E, Guest D, Sussman A, Talamantes Y, Schwartz M, Rodríguez VM, Li Y, Schofield E, Bigney J, Hunley K, Buller D, Berwick M.  Behavioral and psychological outcomes associated with skin cancer genetic testing in Albuquerque primary care. Cancers. Special Issue Melanoma: Prevention and Molecular Epidemiology. 13(16), 4053. 2021

  • Hunley K, Cabana G. Update to “Beyond serial founder effects: the impact of admixture and localized gene flow on patterns of regional genetic diversity.” Reissued with new forward in special issue Contributions to Anti-Racist Science. Human Biology. 92: 219-231 2020

  • Hunley K, Edgar H, Healy M, Mosley C. Colonialism and the co-evolution of ethnic and genetic structure in New Mexico. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 171: 509-519. 2020

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