Genomic history of early dogs in Europe - PubMed
6 hours ago
- #canine genomics
- #domestication
- #European prehistory
- Oldest identifiable dogs from Europe date to at least 14,000 years ago, but genomic data on early European dogs was limited.
- Analysis of 216 canid remains, including 181 from Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Europe, used a genome-wide capture approach to distinguish dog from wolf ancestry.
- A 14,200-year-old dog from Kesslerloch, Switzerland, shares ancestry with later worldwide dogs, contradicting a separate European domestication hypothesis.
- This ancient dog shows more genetic affinity to European dogs than to Asian ones, indicating dog diversification started before 14,200 years ago.
- Neolithic farmers from Southwest Asia introduced some ancestry into European dogs, but the influx was smaller than in humans, with substantial Mesolithic dog contributions persisting.