US EditionAncient DNA Pushes Dog Domestication Back 5,000 Years
Researchers sequenced over 200 ancient dog and wolf genomes, confirming dog domestication at 15,800 years ago, 5,000 years earlier than prior evidence, showing dogs accompanied hunter-gatherers.
- On Wednesday, researchers published findings in the journal Nature confirming dogs have lived alongside humans for at least 15,800 years, pushing back the known domestication timeline by 5,000 years.
- Genetic research suggests dogs descended from gray wolves during the last glacial maximum roughly 26,000 to 20,000 years ago, as populations were forced into shared refuges in northern Eurasia.
- Scientists identified ancient dog remains at Pinarbasi in Turkey and Gough's Cave in England dating to 14,300 years ago, confirming canines were widely distributed across Europe and western Asia.
- Archaeological evidence indicates these early dogs were well-tempered members of human groups; researchers found that humans at Pinarbasi fed their dogs fish and buried them alongside their own dead.
- While these studies clarify the timeline, the exact geographic origin of dog domestication remains a mystery, though geneticist Anders Bergström of the University of East Anglia in England believes the process likely happened in Asia.
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149 Articles
Dog Domestication in Europe Dated to More Than 14,000 Years Ago - Archaeology Magazine
OXFORD, ENGLAND—According to a statement released by the University of Oxford, domesticated dogs were spread across Europe and Anatolia and living with hunter-gatherers by 14,000 years ago. Researchers led by Lachie Scarsbrook and Greger Larson of the University of Oxford analyzed genomes taken from dog remains recovered at Upper Paleolithic sites, including Pınarbaşı in Turkey and Gough’s Cave in England, and two Mesolithic sites in Serbia. The…
New DNA analyses show that dogs already lived at the side of humans 16,000 years ago.
Ancient DNA Shows Dogs Lived with Humans During the Ice Age, New Study Reveals
Dogs have long been considered humanity’s best friend—but when did that bond begin? A new study from the University of York takes a closer look at the relationship between humans and canines, pushing back the timeline of dog domestication by more than 5,000 years and suggesting the partnership began over 14,000 years ago. The research team analyzed ancient DNA from excavated canine remains at archaeological sites in the United Kingdom and Türkiy…
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