Updates from the field: April - July 2020

As of April, the THGP field team has been "working from home" like so many of us because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This precaution is for the safety of the field team as well as the study participants, many of whom live in remote areas with limited access to health care. The THGP field team has been keeping busy during this time period though. We've been using the time away from the field to prepare new interviews, collate and enter previously collected data, and follow up with previous study participants by phone. Charles and Ben have also used the time to organize previously collected biological samples and to extract both genomic DNA (for whole genome sequencing) and fecal DNA (for microbiome research). Despite the challenges of a global pandemic, the THGP continues to make scientific progress!

Charles with Turkana study participants before COVID-19 shutdowns. We hope to get back to the field soon!