Many have been the theories about the origin of the domestication of dogs. Now, a new international investigation, led by scientists from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), has placed the relationship between humans and dogs in parallel, proving the theories set out above, that is, the origin of friendship between Human dogs began simultaneously in eastern and western Eurasia from two separate populations of wolves.
“Genetic and archaeological analyzes show that it is necessary to reconsider the number of times dogs were domesticated independently . Perhaps the reason why there has not yet been a consensus about where dogs were first domesticated is because everyone has had some reason, ”explains Greger Larson, leader of the work.
To reach this conclusion, the experts compared fossil genetic data, reconstructing the evolutionary history of dogs by sequencing the genome of a medium-sized canine of about 4,800 years old – whose remains were found in the Newgrange funerary passage in Ireland. and comparing it with mitochondrial DNA from 59 ancient dogs that lived between 14,000 and 3,000 years along with the genetic signature of more than 2,500 modern dogs, discovering that dogs were domesticated twice and not once as previously thought. The origin of both domestications -before the advent of agriculture- would come from two separate populations of wolves, now extinct.
“So we got the genetic and archaeological evidence that dogs were actually domesticated twice. Dogs were domesticated on both sides of the Old World. Then the eastern population dispersed along with humans to the west between 14,000 and 6,400 years ago, and somehow replaced the dogs that already lived in Europe, ”Larson clarifies.
In this way, the first dogs would have arisen in Europe more than 15,000 years ago and in turn in East Asia, more than 12,500 years ago.
The study has been published in the journal Science.
