Scientists publish new studies on ancient dog DNA pushing back timeline of dog domestication by 5,000 years
Two studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature analyzed DNA from over 200 ancient dog and wolf remains, with the oldest dating back about 15,800 years. The research established new methods for studying ancient canine DNA and found that dogs were already spread across Western Europe and Asia 14,200 years ago, before the development of agriculture. The studies suggest dogs originated from an ancient population of gray wolves in Europe or Asia and moved the timeline of dog domestication back by at least 5,000 years.
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“New studies of old dogs help scientists understand where they came from”
“New studies of ancient dogs help scientists understand origin of humanity's closest companion”