Study: At Least Five Dog Lineages Existed 11,000 Years Ago

[Judi Lynn]

Nov 3, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study published in the journal Science, an international team of scientists sequenced the genomes of 27 ancient dogs, some of which lived up to nearly 11,000 years ago, across Eurasia. The researchers found that dogs likely arose once from a now-extinct wolf population and that by 11,000 years ago, at least five major ancestry lineages had diversified, demonstrating a deep genetic history of dogs during the Paleolithic.

“The dog is the oldest domesticated animal and has a very long relationship with humans,” said co-lead author Dr. Anders Bergström, a researcher in the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute.

“Therefore, understanding the history of dogs teaches us not just about their history, but also about our history.”

“We examined dogs from across the old world, and they represent a period that stretches almost 11,000 years back in time,” said co-author Professor Anna Linderholm, an archaeologist at Texas A&M University.

“The dog samples have been gathered from museums, and other collections from across the world and by several members of the team.”

“Since we don’t know when and where dogs were domesticated, we have collected most of the known dogs from the old world, going back as far in time as possible and using dog DNA that has been best preserved.”

The scientists sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes up to 11,000 years old from Europe, the Near East, and Siberia.

More:
http://www.sci-news.com/archaeology/five-dog-lineages-paleolithic-09012.html

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Retrievers, Setters, Terriers, Shepherds, and Danes?

amirite?

[ret5hd]

2. Lap, junkyard, wiener, porch, and mutt.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Perhaps if we are only looking at the least 500 years....

[Javaman]

4. and the ever feared saber toothed dachshound. nt